Salmon farmer has rolled out new flatdeck “site tractor” style work boats across each Broughton farm, replacing older vessels.
In its latest newsletter Wharfside, Mowi West Canada writes that it has introduced a new kind of workboat, which has been nicknamed “The Tractor Of The Sea”.
The farm tender boats, specifically designed for hauling farm equipment and staff around the sites, have a wide, flat deck that provides a stable work platform. The company explained that each “tractor of the seas deck has an additional ergonomic benefit as heavy buckets and gear don’t have to be lifted in and out as had to be done in the past with the more traditional (or “raider” style) site boats.
The new boats are replacing vessels that have been in use for many years and were starting to show their age. The harsh
environments in which they were operating and the heavy workload were taking their toll on them, the salmon farmer explained.
Mowi West Broughton Area Manager Mike Dobbs wrote: “Their ample deck space affords room for more farming equipment to be moved about the site, and larger machinery can be anchored safely to the deck. All this comes without the need to lift heavy equipment into and out of more traditional style vessels, reducing chances for muscle strains and injuries. So far we have only had positive feedback about them; everyone loves the added ergonomics and the well-thought-out vessel design.”
“Special mention goes out to James Pohl and John Gosselin from Seawater Maintenance for coordinating all the builds and seeing to the delivery of the vessels, and also to Kelly Osborne for getting the ball rolling on these before his switch to Seawater Operations Manager. Kelly was also the first to liken them to ‘site tractors’ which really captures the role that they play around the sites,” he added.
