Tauriko - Verdens største avanserte prosessfartøy

Kontrakt tildelt Freire verft

The contract for building the process vessel 'Tauriko' has been awarded to the Spanish shipyard Freire in Vigo. The vessel is developed through a collaboration with Salt Ship Design and builds upon the designs of previous vessels 'Tauroa' and 'Tautiki', incorporating several technological improvements to optimize efficiency in the aquaculture industry. Freire, a family-owned shipyard with a long history dating back to the 1800s, brings extensive expertise to the project, ensuring a high-quality construction process supported by strong cooperation among all involved parties.

Verdens største prosessfartøy

'Tauriko' is designed as the world's largest advanced process vessel of its kind, measuring approximately 83.90 meters in length, 15.80 meters in width, and 5.30 meters in depth. Powered by a 5,200 kW diesel engine coupled with a 2,000/1,500 kW shaft generator, and equipped with bow and stern thrusters, the vessel can reach speeds up to 17-18 knots. It has a processing capacity of roughly 200 tons of salmon per hour and can transport up to 750 tons of fish in a closed system. Onboard, eight processing units can handle up to 36,000 fish per hour, facilitating stunning, bleeding, sorting, and chilled seawater storage with ozonation technology to maintain high quality and environmental standards. The vessel will accommodate a crew of 17 and requires around 30 new employees upon delivery.

Lukket system for dyrevelferd

'Tauriko's' closed fish handling system enhances animal welfare and biosecurity by ensuring fish are immediately stunned and bled upon reception onboard, thereby reducing stress and mortality rates. The system prevents water exchange with the sea and employs separate loading and unloading systems to avoid contact between slaughter-ready fish and those still in sea cages. Napier focuses strongly on food safety, adhering to international standards with external controls. These design features aim to improve operational efficiency and reduce the time spent in harbors through a newly developed unloading system, ultimately lowering costs per kilogram of harvested fish and enhancing overall logistics within the production chain.

Levering planlagt til 2027

The project timeline anticipates delivery of 'Tauriko' in 2027, marking a significant advancement in efficiency and environmental performance for Napier’s fleet and the aquaculture sector at large. The vessel will play a crucial role in advancing more sustainable and streamlined solutions for fish farming operations by reducing transport times between sea cages and slaughterhouses. This aligns with broader goals of improving fish welfare, biosecurity, and environmental impact, all while enhancing productivity and cost-effectiveness in the industry.