VESSEL REFIT | Frøy Challenger – Platform supplier rebuilt as salmon delousing boat for Norwegian owner

A vessel that was originally built for offshore platform supply duties has completed undergoing conversion work in preparation for its new role as a fish delousing boat.

Owned by Norwegian aquaculture support company Froy Gruppen and operated by its subsidiary Froy Akvaressurs, ex-Skandi Texel was formerly owned by offshore specialist DOF in support of customers in the oil and gas sector following its completion by Fitjar Mekaniske Verksted in 2006. In its new role, the vessel will be used for the removal of sea lice from live salmon at the fish farms operated by Froy’s customers situated along the Norwegian coast.

The conversion work on the vessel was carried out at Norway’s Fosen Yard with technical support from local naval architects Marin Teknikk, which said the vessel, since renamed Froy Challenger, is also the largest salmon delousing vessel currently in operation.

The modifications on the 69.5- by 16.4-metre Froy Challenger include the installation of modern delousing equipment supplied by SkaMik. Among these are 10 large HiFlux filters that have a total rated cleaning capacity of 10,000 cubic metres per hour as well as self-cleaning capability.

The entire delousing system itself was also designed to have a low stress load that helps maintain the appetite of the live salmon, enabling them to resume normal feeding – and thus preserve their health – shortly after delousing begins on board.

The delousing system also has specialised pumps with a hydraulic drive unit and a control system as part of a package provided by PG Flow Solutions. The pumps are notable for having significantly fewer moving parts that could otherwise injure fish, thus further guaranteeing fish health.

Other key modifications include the incorporation of high-speed wifi access in all crew cabins. Electrical installation work, which also included a complete rebuilding of the vessel’s existing main switchboard, was done by Elpro. Cameras are also installed within the delousing facilities to provide the crew with real-time remote views whenever delousing is underway to ensure better monitoring of the welfare of the live salmon throughout the process.

The vessel still retains its diesel-electric propulsion system, which consists of four main diesel engines and four generators. The engines drive two 1,500kW main thrusters while a pair of fixed-pitch bow thrusters air in berthing/unberthing and positioning at fish farms.

Froy Challenger will be deployed in support of one of Froy’s existing customers in fulfilment of a delousing contract with a firm period of 30 months.

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