Mowi feed plant hit by dust gas blast

An explosion has seriously damaged a Mowi feed factory in Norway causing considerable damage to the top of the building.

Fortunately, no-one was injured and the site, which opened nine years ago, has now been evacuated.

The incident took place in the Ørland municipality in the Trondelag region.

Local news site VG.no reports that there is major damage to site. Local fire service spokesman Gunnar Sundli told VG that the incident was the result of a dust gas explosion in a silo where flour is stored.

“There is damage to the top of the silo, but there is no fire. There is some wreckage hanging out of the silo that you have no control over – we are working on securing it,” he said.

One possible explanation is that a conveyor belt overheated, igniting the fishmeal and resulting in an explosion.

Mowi said later that all employees had been accounted for, adding the damage was solely material. The company said it would examine the cause of the explosion and the impact on business in due course.

Mowi said later that production at the site has since re-started and will quickly reach full capacity.

The company’s shares dipped a little following news of the explosion but it is unclear whether this was the cause for the drop.

It is not known how long it will take for the site to return to normal, but it has been an eventful few weeks for Mowi, which is reported to have lost around 5,000 fish in the Frøya area in September due to crushing during a de-licing operation. It is thought strong currents may be to blame.