The Kingfish Company has hired engineering service firm Ramboll to oversee pre-construction design and engineering of its recirculating aquaculture system farm in Jonesport, Maine, U.S.A.
The announcement, made on 10 May, comes as the Kats, the Netherlands-based company said the permitting process was proceeding on schedule for its proposed farm, which will eventually produce 6,000 to 8,000 metric tons (MT) of yellowtail kingfish, once complete.
“Ramboll’s environmental and engineering teams have supported Kingfish through the project’s permitting process. In its newly awarded contract, Ramboll will continue to support the project through the complete design and engineering phase for the land-based aquaculture project,” The Kingfish Company said in a press release.
The project represents Copenhagen, Denmark-based Ramboll’s biggest-ever project in the U.S., though it has been involved in other large-scale aquaculture projects globall. It was recently chosen by Premium Svensk Lax to design its 58,000-square-meter, 10,000 MT land-based salmon farm now under construction in Säffle, Sweden. In a press release, Ramboll said it specializes in “helping companies implement innovative and sustainable strategies to improve seafood production, reduce environmental impacts, use energy and water more efficiently, and get product safely to market.”
“At Ramboll, we are very proud to be a part of Kingfish Maine’s journey to advance the aquaculture market and our shared commitment to bringing high-quality and sustainable fish to consumers in the U.S.,” Ramboll Principal Henry Clauson said.
Kingfish Company Co-Founder and CEO Ohad Maiman said he is confident Ramboll can deliver “the same cutting-edge technology used in [Kingfish Company’s] Netherlands facility, which includes advanced and multifaceted culture and support systems.”
“Based on collaboration with Ramboll over the past year, and their experience with RAS facilities in Scandinavia, we are confident in this global partnership and the anticipated operational results of our advanced RAS technology facility in Maine,” Maiman said.
The company’s U.S. subsidiary, Kingfish Maine, has announced it will file for a Maine Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit (MEPDES) permit by early August and will host a discussion on the project in a public meeting on Tuesday, 21 July, in Jonesport.
Ramboll operates a U.S. office in the city of Portland, Maine, U.S.A., a 3.5-hour drive from Jonesport.
“We’re excited to expand our partnership on this project, which is aligned with Ramboll’s mission to create sustainable societies where people and nature flourish, and to help design and build the high-tech infrastructure needed to make efficient, large-scale production of yellowtail in the U.S. a reality,” Ramboll Executive Vice President of Global Practice Development Mark Travers said.
Photo courtesy of the Kingfish Company
