The aquaculture department of Vónin is stepping up its efforts to reach fish farmers in Scotland and elsewhere by hiring Mr Lydersen Jacobsen. Mr Lydersen Jacobsen joined Vónin Aquaculture earlier in the yearto help accommodate increasing demand from overseas, said Vónin marketing manager Bogi Nón.

“We believe Sigvald has the right kind of qualifications for the new role as international sales representative,” Mr Nón said. He added that part of Mr Lydersen Jacobsen’s job will consist of educating fish farming executives and managers about key advantages offered by Vónin Aquaculture’s products and solutions.

The company’s core message is simple: saving on essential equipment can seriously raise maintenance costs, whereas choosing appropriate top quality products will ultimately reduce overall expenditure and increase profits.

The success of the Faroese aquaculture industry didn’t come cheap and as a leading provider of fish farming equipment, Vónin played a key part in joint efforts to overcome a series of industry-wide challenges, Mr Nón noted.

“We worked closely with the authorities and the industry to help develop rigorous controls at all levels. We’d seen devastation and everybody was determined to prevent disease from spreading in the future.”

The industry had hit rock bottom by 2005 with many companies wiped out. After the introduction of new legislation, however, tougher regulations together with industry consolidation and generally improved methods and procedures paved the way for a stellar recovery led by the likes of Bakkafrost and Marine Harvest.

Reinforced brackets

For obvious reasons, there has been no lack of issues to tackle since the beginning of marine aquaculture in the Faroe Islands. Vónin’s Aquaculture department originated in the early 1980s in response to the growing popularity of fish farming. One of the main challenges was developing aquaculture systems and components that could withstand extreme weather conditions and heavy currents among the rocky islands in the middle of the North Atlantic.

“Today every aquaculture installation in the Faroe Islands uses our equipment,” Mr Nón said.

Vónin Aquaculture’s offerings range from complete solutions to component parts, from net cages and floating frames to mooring systems and accessories.

“The Vónin Net Cages are made from very reliable and durable materials,” Mr Nón said. “These cages are reinforced to maintain operational stability irrespective of harsh conditions with very strong currents and extreme winds.”

As for the Vónin Floating Frames, these are known to offer “outstanding value based on unsurpassed robustness” according to a Vónin video presentation. Reinforced brackets made of injection moulded plastic make the joints that connect the floating sections of the frames with the railings above nothing less than ‘virtually maintenance free’.

No zinc blocks

The main part of every fish farm is situated underwater and Mr Nón said that a Vónin Mooring System easily outperforms other systems on the market.

“Our systems have a unique design in order to seamlessly withstand all the massive forces applied by the combination of waves, currents and winds as well as the tension caused by being moored to the seabed.”

The secret behind the success of the Vónin Mooring Systems has much to do with a shock-absorbing or cushioning element which provides elasticity to minimise disruptions, thereby shielding the system from overstrain.

To further make sure maintenance is kept to a minimum, Connection Plates together with Shackles - key subsea components of Vónin Mooring Systems - are made of high grade, acid resistant, stainless steel manufactured exclusively for Vónin.

“This means the need for using zinc blocks to protect galvanised steel is eliminated, and thereby an expensive source of frequent underwater inspections is avoided,” Mr Nón said.

Net Washer

The Vónin Net Washer, a super-sized drum washing appliance made from stainless steel, is another product that has won acclaim among fish farmers for ease of use and overall quality. The Net Washer is operated automatically with a programmable logic controller (PLC) and features a large, waterproof sealing door for loading and unloading aquaculture nets.

“This enables the operator to easily select net washing programs in accordance with the dimensions of the aquaculture net - and in line with considerations such as wastewater management, disinfectants, water volumes, washing frequencies and more, including legal and statutory requirements”, said Mr Nón.

With a capacity that ranges from 15-50cm³, and with various options available according to customer specification, the Vónin Net Washer comes in different sizes. It can be delivered with or without the Roto Screen extension unit for environmentally friendly wastewater cleaning.

Said Mr Nón: “Thanks to the use of 3D design and manufacturing software, the Vónin Net Washer can be tailored to the specific needs of each customer - much like our fishing gear and aquaculture nets.”