Cflow Provides Fish Handling System for Brønnbåt Wellboat

Brønnbåt Nord's largest wellboat to date will be equipped with a complete fish handling system from Cflow in Langevåg, on Norway's west coast. The solutions have been further developed to ensure good conditions for the fish, gentler handling and efficient operations on board.

With a cargo capacity of 5,000 cubic meters, the new wellboat can carry the equivalent of approximately 4.2 million salmon dinners in a single trip to the processing plant.

The investment will help meet growing demand for wellboat capacity in Northern Norway. Brønnbåt Nord is owned by the aquaculture companies Salaks, Gratanglaks and Kleiva Fiskefarm.

The vessel has been designed by NSK Ship Design in Harstad and will be built at Zamakona Shipyard in Bilbao, Spain, with delivery scheduled for 2029. The newbuild will feature battery-hybrid propulsion, an energy-efficient hull design and the capacity to produce up to 10,000 cubic meters of freshwater on board.

The new vessel will be equipped with several further-developed Cflow solutions designed to ensure good water quality and greater control over the conditions fish are exposed to during transport and handling.

Cflow's delivery includes complete systems for fish handling, water circulation and treatment, hygiene, automation and data logging. It also features high-capacity CO2 degassing systems, systems for regulating total gas pressure (TGP), and nanobubble generators from Cflow's partner Moleaer, which supply oxygen to the water. The nanobubble generators inject very small oxygen bubbles that remain in the water for longer, rather than quickly rising to the surface. According to Cflow, this enables more efficient use of oxygen compared with traditional venturi injectors.

The vessel will be equipped with fish loading and unloading lines with a diameter of 600 millimeters (DN600), designed to handle high capacities during loading and unloading. This will enable efficient fish handling and shorter operation times, while keeping fish welfare a key priority.

Cflow will also deliver piping systems designed for cleaning in place (CIP), without the need for dismantling. This will simplify cleaning procedures and help maintain good hygiene between operations.

In addition, the vessel will be equipped with fish counters from Wingtech, adapted for different operations on board. The counters will record the number of fish during loading and unloading, and one of the counters will also be suitable for smolt counting. This will give the shipping company better control over the number of fish being handled.

Cflow and Brønnbåt Nord previously collaborated on the battery-hybrid wellboat MS Caspian, delivered in 2024. Experience gained from that project has been carried forward into the development of solutions for the new vessel.

Although the vessel will be built in Spain, approximately 40 per cent of the deliveries will come from Norwegian companies. For Cflow, based in Langevåg near Alesund, the contract means significant activity in the years ahead, helping to support local employment and further development of the company's technology expertise.