Norwegian aquaculture supplier companies Redox AS and Proff Kulde AS have entered into a strategic cooperation agreement to provide hygienic and energy efficient storage solutions for stun and bleed vessels.
Fish is first pumped into a stun and bleed vessel, where the fish are stunned and euthanised. After the fish have been bled out, they are moved to a refrigerated tank where they are stored until delivery to an onshore processing facility.
The cooperation will combine Redox’s solutions for regulating water quality and hygiene with Proff Kulde’s CO2-based refrigerated seawater (RSW) system for cooling fish.
“Combining Redox and Proff Kulde’s competence and technologies will allow us to deliver a more complete integrated solution that that in an energy-efficient way provides the best possible water and storage quality, with the associated cost savings this entails. At the end of the day, what really matters is the quality of the fish that enters the processing facility,” Redox Managing Director Jonas Bergman said.
As part of the cooperation, Redox will contribute with water purification system, oxygen system to reduce stress levels when crowding the fish, filter and UV system for treatment of inlet and discharge water, automatic cleaning system including ozone disinfection, plus logging system for monitoring and documentation of all processes.
Redox, which has previously delivered cleaning and disinfection systems to eight stun and bleed vessels and approximately 50% of the wellboats that operate in Norway, is also looking into the possibility of implementing new solutions to improve biosecurity and hygiene as well as streamlining operations on board the vessel.
“We are, among other things, evaluating a new cooling water treatment method that can result in improved hygiene all the way to the processing facility. We are also developing a stun and bleed vessel alternative for ‘Wash Zero’, which is our solution to separate soap from seawater to enable filtering and disinfection of the discharge water,” Bergman said.
As part of the partnership, Proff Kulde will provide the company’s compact CO2-based RSW system that is particularly well suited for stun and bleed vessels. Its proprietary heat exchanger allows the company to halve the use of expensive high pressure refrigeration components.
A more compact RSW system design also means lower production costs. In addition, CO2 is a more environmentally friendly refrigerant than other solutions.
“Cooperating with Redox will enable us to optimise biosecurity, water quality and temperature in an even more holistic and integrated manner, which will ensure top quality fish. We will achieve this with the smallest possible environmental footprint and lowest possible cost for the operator of the stun and bleed vessel,” Proff Kulde Managing Director Mathias Ingebrigtsen said.
Both Redox and Proff Kulde are owned by seafood investor Bluefront Equity, which played a role in facilitating the cooperation between the two supplier companies.
“We place highly experienced industry experts on the board of directors of the companies we invest in. One of the board’s and Bluefront Equity’s most important functions is to support the company management in identifying new business development opportunities. This is exactly what we have achieved in this instance,” Bluefront Equity Partner Kjetil Haga said.
Former executive vice president of BioMar, Jan Sverre Røsstad, is chairman of Proff Kulde, while Nova Sea-owner Aino Olaisen is a member of the Redox board of directors.
