Aquaship/Intership has acquired the well-boat MS “Bjørg Pauline” from Nordlaks in a deal finalized on Friday, June 21.
The vessel, delivered in March 2021, is the world’s first well-boat powered by pure LNG, featuring a battery pack and shore power connection, which significantly reduces CO2 emissions by 20% and NOx emissions by 90%.
Under the agreement, Nordlaks will lease the vessel back and ensure that all employees are retained with their current salary and conditions.
“It has been important for us to ensure that all employees are taken care of. By leasing the vessel back, we also ensure continuity and that we will continue to have the same high quality on the well-boat side,” said Eirik Welde, CEO of Nordlaks.
Aquaship/Intership, a global operator of service vessels for aquaculture, now boasts a fleet of 40 vessels and nearly 700 employees operating in Chile, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and Norway.
CEO Ole Peter Brandal highlighted the strategic fit of MS “Bjørg Pauline” within their modern fleet and praised the ongoing cooperation with Nordlaks. “We have a very good cooperation with Nordlaks today and look forward to working even more together in the future. Nordlaks is a company that is always driving innovation and development,” Brandal said.
The well-boat, named after Nordlaks’ owner’s mother Inge Berg, will retain its name post-acquisition. Brandal added, “The boat has a good name, which we are happy to keep and will be proud to have in our fleet.”
This acquisition follows a similar sale and leaseback agreement between Nordlaks and Intership for another well-boat in 2018.
