“Aquaculture will continue to be an important industry for Norway for a very long time, longer than oil and gas. I am confident we have the competence necessary for further developing the industry, based on our knowledge of logistics, supply chain and internationalization,” says Mette Harv, Executive VP at TTS Energy.
She was among the 40 plus participants at the GCE NODE Aquaculture Seminar in Kristiansand Wednesday, supported by PERISCOPE Interreg North Sea Region.
“There is, however, one clear drawback,” says Harv. “We know nothing about fish.”
And according to Harald Sveier, Technical Manager at Lerøy Seafood Group, a Norwegian seafood giant, fishis their primary concern.
“It is all about the fish! Suppliers to Lerøy know that even though we pay their invoices, their client is the fish. If the fish is not healthy and happy, it is bad for business,” says Sveier.
FAMILIAR PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
He presented two major innovation projects, launched by Lerøy to help increase production and reduce costs. Both projects involve major steel structures, pumps, pipes, sensors and more components familiar to the oil and gas industry.
“We are always reinventing ourselves. We have to, in order to stay competitive. I would love to see competence and technology from oil and gas help us improve operations. Most engineers working on our floating fish tanks are recruited from the oil and gas industry,” says Sveier.
He left his audience with a challenge: “If somebody can make us an offshore aquaculture facility that can be lowered and be operational 30 feet below sea level during severe storms, we are interested.”
LOOKING FOR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
In addition to Lerøy Seafood Group, the seminar in Kristiansand included presentations from Akva Group, Hauge Aqua, NSK Ship Design, the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries and The Research Council of Norway.
“I am impressed to see such a group of large industrial players at this seminar. At Scanmatic, we are already involved in some aquaculture projects, and we will continue to look for more business opportunities in this sector. We believe in transferring competence and technology between different industries, and aquaculture is one industry we are keen on exploring further,” says Christian Jørgensen, Sales Manager Offshore at Scanmatic.
Scanmatic was part of a group of GCE NODE companies that gave short presentations at the seminar. Other companies were CFD Marine, Alfa Solution, Telenor Maritime, Atea and CeWave.
