The new contract follows consent being secured for an additional 2,000 tonnes of capacity for SSC’s Portree site and will generate 20 additional jobs for Gael Force.
Work on the 400 tonne, 14m long SeaMate barge will begin imminently at the Gael Force base in Inverness. It will be fitted with the SeaFeed system, including an eight line feeding system and barge design offering the highest of safety standards. This new system is a first for SSC and has been exclusively designed and manufactured in Scotland by Gael Force.
SSC has a longstanding partnership with Gael Force and in 2016 signed an exclusive contract with the business as preferred supplier of consumables. The partnership has resulted in the development of a new software platform enabling more efficient and cost-effective ordering of consumables from all 60 SSC sites and processing plants.
Craig Anderson, chief executive of The Scottish Salmon Company, said: “We have worked in partnership with Gael Force for several years and this newly-commissioned barge highlights our commitment to supporting Scottish businesses and local sourcing. The design process was very much a collaborative approach, both in terms of the technology and health and safety aspects. This commission reflects our commitment to investing in innovation to improve our operational efficiency and support business growth.”
Stewart Graham, managing director at Gael Force Group, said: “This new barge will be one of the most sophisticated of its kind in Scotland. This announcement with The Scottish Salmon Company, along with an increased demand for feed barges, will see us enter the New Year on a great footing, allowing us to increase our workforce by an additional 20 people in the first quarter.”
