World’s largest wellboat nears completion

As well as being the largest wellboat on the planet Ronja Storm is capable of producing 16.8 million litres of fresh water a day and has a well capacity nearly twice that of the average wellboat. Equipped with fish tanks, it can load 1,000 tonnes of fish an hour – the equivalent of 3,300 market-sized salmon per minute.

“Ronja Storm is the biggest in the world not only in terms of its actual size. The focus has been on thorough and reliable handling of large amounts of fish, which has required new solutions and equipment to be developed. Clients and end users have challenged us down to the tiniest detail, and the result is that Ronja Storm will be a giant in every way,” said Havyard’s senior designer, Kjetil Myren.

“We’ve been preparing for this for a long time, and we benefit from it being a complete Havyard product both in terms of the planning and building processes. We have full access to expertise in all fields when it comes to design, the fish handling equipment itself, and power systems and automation,” added Lasse Stokkeland, EVP of Havyard Ship Technology.

Ronja Storm is being built for Sølvtrans, which will then lease it to Huon Aquaculture in Tasmania.

Myren explains that the fish transporting and processing needs there require the large dimensions.

He said: “The salmon must be treated and transported many times throughout their life cycle and bathing the fish in freshwater is an effective and environmentally friendly method. Producing our own freshwater makes the treatment more sustainable, as you avoid using natural freshwater, which is a scarce resource, you save time and fuel from not having to fetch it, and you don’t have to filter it. The water is of course reused as well,” he said.

“When the salmon is treated that often, it must be possible to take them out of the cages quickly and with care to avoid stress and reduced growth. This is why such enormous systems are needed to handle the fish. To ensure fish welfare and survival, robust and redundant systems are also incorporated.”

Roger Halsebakk, CEO of Sølvtrans, said: “It will be a fantastic addition to Sølvtrans’s fleet. The ship once again confirms that Sølvtrans is at the forefront of technology developments that address quality, animal welfare and environmental considerations in the aquaculture industry.”