Norwegian aquaculture vessel operator Brønnbåt Nord has ordered an 86.8-metre battery-hybrid wellboat from Spain’s Zamakona Yards for delivery in 2029.
Designed by Norwegian naval architecture firm NSK Ship Design, the vessel will have a well capacity of 5,000 cubic metres. It will feature battery-hybrid operation, shore power, an advanced energy recovery system, and onboard freshwater production.
Treatment equipment will support freshwater use as well as thermal and mechanical methods. The vessel is intended primarily for fish treatment and handling, but it will also undertake other wellboat work, including the transport of smolt and harvest-ready fish.
The project represents an investment of around NOK1 billion (US$110 billion). Steel cutting is planned for March or April 2027, with outfitting and completion to take place at Zamakona’s facilities in Bilbao.
NSK Ship Design had worked on the project for about 18 months when it was presented on Thursday, September 24. Brønnbåt Nord board member Ken Rune Bekkeli said the large freshwater capacity willallow treatment to continue without spending time and energy collecting additional water during operations.
Brønnbåt Nord said the newbuild will increase treatment and transport capacity for fish farmers in the region.
The vessel will expand on the concept developed for Caspian, a 2,800-cubic-metre hybrid wellboat delivered by Zamakona in 2024 for operations primarily in Troms and Nordland.
The newbuild for Brønnbåt Nord will provide 2,200 cubic metres additional capacity.
