Earlier this month, the Huon Aquaculture-commissioned wellboat Ronja Storm set sail for Norway for its internal fit-out.
Believed to be the world’s largest wellboat, the Ronja Storm will join the rest of Huon’s fleet in Tasmania, Australia, once its fitout is completed. The aquaculture company intends to use the vessel to transport and bathe salmon, it said in a press release. Huon CEO Peter Bender expects that Ronja Storm will arrive in Tasmania by November 2019.
“We are pleased to confirm that the Ronja Storm has been launched and is now on its way to Norway. We expect that it will be delivered to Tasmania by November this year,” Bender said. “The Ronja Storm is our biggest vessel yet and it will be an asset that will ensure Huon’s long-term success.”
The Ronja Storm is almost twice the size of the world’s previous largest wellboat, and is capable of holding more than 12,000 cubic meters of water. It has been leased to Huon for a period of 10 years from Solvtrans, a Norwegian-based company specializing in wellboat buildouts. Once the new vessel arrives, Huon will use its current wellboat, Ronja Huon, for harvesting and as a back-up, according to Bender.
“Dedicating the Ronja Huon to harvest translates to better biosecurity outcomes. We will achieve this as all of the water brought to shore with the harvest fish will be returned to the vessel for disinfection before it is returned to the ocean, minimising the risk of pathogen transfer,” Bender said. “We are thrilled to be on the cutting-edge of salmon farming and I believe that the Ronja Storm will enable us to be even better farmers.”
The technological aspects of Ronja Storm have been uniquely tailored to reduce pressure on Tasmania’s freshwater supply, Bender said.
“The amount of technology that is going into the vessel is truly astounding,” he said. “The Ronja Storm will have its own desalination plant which can produce 700 [metric tons] of freshwater in an hour. This will allow us to operate more efficiently and reduce pressure on Tasmania’s freshwater supply.
Image courtesy of Huon Aquaculture
