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Aquaculture

Ocean Farm 1 tow and marine operations

Aker Solutions provided marine operations planning support and execution of the tow of the Ocean Farm 1 between its ocean site in Frohavet, northwest of Trondheim, approximately 90 nautical miles to Aker Verdal for upgrade work.
 
This large, semi-submersible offshore fish farm weighs 7,000 tonnes, has a diameter of 110 meters, and total volume of ~250,000 m³. With a height of around 68 meters and significantly deep draft, the towing route must be carefully planned.
1
The challenge

Ocean Farm 1 was scheduled for upgrade work at Aker Verdal, requiring the large floating fish farm to be disconnected from its offshore location at Frohavet and safely transported to the yard.

Marine operations had to cover the complete transition from the offshore location to inshore mooring, followed by the return operation after the upgrade.

Draft and clearance required careful planning especially in the high-traffic channels of Trondheimsfjord. To avoid hull stress and drift of the structure, the weather window was limited.   

2
Our solution

Working with partners in the Windstaller Alliance, Aker Solutions provided project management and marine operations planning, including engineering and procurement support. 

The marine scope covered hook-down, tow to shore and inshore mooring, followed by the subsequent tow-out and hook-up of Ocean Farm 1. Aker Solutions also provided asset management related to the marine operations.

3
Outcomes

Ocean Farm 1 was successfully transported to Aker Verdal for upgrade work and subsequently returned to Frohavet for its next production cycle.

The project demonstrated how offshore marine operations expertise can be applied beyond traditional energy projects to large floating aquaculture infrastructure.