New harvest vessel to run on battery power

Norway-based ship operator VOLT Service AS has ordered a new hybrid diesel-electric harvest vessel capable of delivering up to 100 tonnes an hour.

The order has gone to shipbuilder Fitjar Mekaniske Verksted (FMV), based south of Bergen.

The company said the HFMV P42-500 design has a strong focus on fish welfare, fish quality, operational efficiency and reduced climate emissions. The vessel will be called VOLT Harvest III.

The battery pack is about 850 kWh, with an additional shore power system on board.

The machine configuration and an optimised hull shape make the vessel more efficient and reduce carbon emissions. Among other things, the vessel can sail for several hours on battery power alone.

VOLT Service is based in Fosnavåg, about 150 miles north of Bergen. It is part of the Remøy Management Group.

VOLT Service said it is currently building a modern and efficient fleet of “blue boats”, with a special focus on fish welfare and quality. The fleet has vessels in a range of sizes and is designed to meet most needs of Norwegian fish farmers and slaughterhouses.

The company said: “VOLT Harvest III will be the third, and so far largest, process boat Fitjar Mekaniske Verksted has delivered to VOLT Service. The vessel will be built completely on Fitjar.

“With this vessel, we take a new major step towards lower climate footprints from salmon freight.

“With battery operation and shore power connection together with a focus on solutions with low energy consumption, we believe that this is one of the vessels with the lowest emissions per unit transported in the industry.”