For offshore salmon-farming net pens operating at “the most exposed sites,” AKVA group has developed Polarcirkel 560SB, marking “its strongest floating collar to date,” the Norwegian aquaculture equipment and technology manufacturer recently announced.
The collar combines “increased strength and buoyancy with a wide walkway, polystyrene-free construction, and flexible attachment and suspension options” – components that promote safer working conditions and reduced maintenance for operations dealing with demanding climates, AKVA said in a release.
“The first Polarcirkel 560SB is scheduled to be installed at sea in December,” the company said. “Increasing amounts of heavier equipment in and around the pen have been a key driver in the development of the new floating collar, which features flotation pipes with a diameter of 560 [millimeters] and is available in circumferences ranging from 140 to 200 meters.”
The 560SB collar innovation – named and inspired by Storm Bay, Tasmania, which is known for its challenging weather and sea conditions – “builds on more than 50 years of experience with Polarcirkel pens,” according to AKVA.
“When we experienced the conditions in Storm Bay, with Antarctica as the next stop beyond the edge of the pen, it became clear just how much stress aquaculture equipment can be exposed to. We wanted to develop a floating collar capable of withstanding precisely these conditions. That is why the strongest model was named 560SB, with SB standing for Storm Bay,” AKVA Chief Innovation Officer for Sea Based Arnstein Hosaas noted in a company release.
Compared with other collar models, the 560SB, which features reinforced mooring that can endure loads of up to 60 metric tons in extreme weather, represents a more formidable build, Dag Ove Antonsen, the product owner for plastic pens at AKVA, added.
“We have significantly increased the ring stiffness compared with Polarcirkel 500. This provides a more robust and stable floating collar capable of withstanding higher loads,” Antonsen said.
Additional highlights of the Polarcirkel 560SB include a walkway measuring 1,405 millimeters wide, which permits more space for personnel and equipment; a plastic construction without steel components, eliminating rust and corrosion; and expanded polystyrene (EPS)-free flotation pipes that are “divided into several watertight chambers that limit water ingress in the event of damage,” per AKVA.
“Polarcirkel 560SB is the top-of-the-range model, developed for the most demanding sites,” the developer said. “For sites with lower loads, AKVA group also offers Polarcirkel 560, without the reinforced mooring bracket. Both models can be adapted for conventional farming and deep farming.”
With the rollout of Polarcirkel 560SB, AKVA has also introduced a new trade-in scheme for existing floating collars.
“The industry's needs will continue to evolve, and our floating collars must evolve with them. Polarcirkel 560SB is not the end point but the next step,” Hosaas said.
The innovation comes as fish-farming firms have increasingly considered placing their operations offshore in the open ocean. While such moves are largely intended to improve biological performance and avoid congested nearshore marine areas, these operations can face more extreme weather conditions that can cause issues such as escape incidents. For instance, firms like SalMar have faced fines for alleged salmon escapes that have occurred due to such extreme conditions.
