MEST wins contract for Scottish delousing vessel
Faroese shipbuilder MEST has been awarded a contract to convert a supply vessel, Viking Athene, into a delousing vessel for Bakkafrost’s operations in Scotland.
Bakkafrost, which owns the Scottish Salmon Company, chose MEST out of eight international contractors for the rebuilding project.
The rebuild project includes a number of adjustments and modifications – all timber and steel has to be removed from the deck and be made ready for the installation of the FLS-system. A new A-Frame will be manufactured and installed (a similar one as the one on “MS Martin”). Four Melcal cranes and winches will be installed. Some changes and adjustments will also be made in accommodation and on the bridge.
Mouritz Mohr, CEO, MEST Shipyard, said: “We are very pleased to have solved the design and installation work successfully for Bakkafrost. On the basis of this successful project we are a bit proud to have won this new project which is to rebuild a PSV supply vessel into a delousing vessel (FFUV) for Bakkafrost’s Scottish operation.”
Bakkafrost purchased the Viking Athene from Eidesvik Shipping AS earlier this year. It previously operated as a supply vessel in the Norwegian offshore energy industry. The purchase figure has not been disclosed. At 241 feet long and 54 feet wide, Viking Athene is a sister ship to Bakkafrost’s FSV M/S Martin, purchased in 2016. It will be renamed the MS Bakkanes.
Meanwhile, MEST has also designed, produced and installed a large A-Frame on the MS Martin. The A-Frame is drawn and developed to operate under harsh conditions in the Faroese fjords. The A-Frame has a height of 12m and width of 8,5m and has a lifting capacity of 24 ton. The A-Frame is tailor-made to Bakkafrost’s requirements and includes a special footbridge on the A-Frame – in order to make it easy for the staff to get as close as possible to the fish farming cages.
MEST also installed a delousing system from the Norwegian firm FLS. This is an advanced system which along with the A-Frame will enable Bakkafrost to undertake efficient salmon delousing.
