VESSEL REVIEW | FSV Scotia – Trident Aqua Services' new bleeding boat to support salmon farming in Scotland

Norwegian aquaculture support company Trident Aqua Services has taken delivery of a new fish farm workboat with stun and bleed facilities.

FSV Scotia has been working in support of the salmon harvesting activities of Mowi Scotland. Trident said the vessel has completed a successful introduction phase and that feedback on both efficiency and fish quality has been very positive.

Processing fitout optimised to ensure fish quality

FSV Scotia is based on a design from Norwegian design firm Sirius Design and Integration. Measuring 50 metres (160 feet) long and 12 metres (39 feet) wide, the vessel has an RSW capacity of 500 cubic metres (18,000 cubic feet) and is equipped with a modern onboard processing plant supplied by Baader. Trident said the processing plant is tailored for gentle and efficient harvesting.

Arild Aasmyr, CEO of Trident Aqua Services, said that the vessel was designed and built with a clear focus on fish welfare, biosecurity and maintaining fish quality throughout the harvesting process.

Propulsion setup ensuring safe operation in shallow waters

The vessel has two Brunvoll controllable-pitch propellers while Brunvoll bow and stern tunnel thrusters will provide additional lateral manoeuvrability. The main propellers are driven by two 1,000kW electric motors via a reduction gearbox, which can be optimised through variable rpm for efficiency across a range of power settings.

The steering system was supplied by Elmarin while the radar is from Furuno.

The FSV Group – prior to its merger with Aquaship and Intership to form Trident Aqua Services – had chosen the twin-screw configuration in combination with the two tunnel thrusters for the new workboat to enable it to satisfy the requirement to operate in shallow waters with strong currents.

The vessel’s hull was constructed by Finomar Shipyard in Poland before being outfitted at Fitjar Mekaniske Verksted in Norway. Space on the deck is also available for a fast rescue boat and cranes from HS.Marine. The wheelhouse offers all-round visibility to enable the bridge crew to oversee crane operations and other activities on the aft deck.

FSV Scotia is the fourth newbuild delivered from Fitjar to Trident Aqua Services, following Aqua Mist, Multi Arctic, and FSV Superior.