Provider of cage washing equipment for the aquaculture industry, Multi Pump Innovation (MPI) has signed a US$2 million deal with the Kraken Power company for the provision of T160 RIM-driven thrusters and control systems for use in MPI’s new JetMaster automated cage cleaner.
JetMaster’s RIM thrusters have a long durability, only requiring a change of bearings every 1,000 hours with each thruster providing 54kg of thrust with total electricity requirement of only 17kW.
MPI’s chief operating and chief commercial officer, Thore Standal, explained that MPI tested a wide variety of competitive thrusters and selected Kraken for their winning price and performance value proposition.
“We are pleased to enter into this multi-year partnership with Kraken and, in addition to the RIM thrusters, we believe there is an opportunity to use Kraken’s underwater batteries and charging systems in additional developments for the aquaculture market,” she commented.
JetMaster is fully driven by RIM thrusters, is steerable in all directions and, with additional water jets, removes the need for any belts to help it climb and adhere to the cage meshes.
An issue that has presented problems for other products in this market is the difficulty in cleaning marine growth at and above the cage's waterline. The new JetMaster, owing to its additional jets, offers the ability to clean from the outside of the cage and pen.
