Shipbuilder stays on top of the market by seeing opportunities to convert platform supply vessels into highly demanded fish feed carriers
Eidsvaag, the Norwegian company that specialises in the distribution of fish feed, has contracted Damen to carry out a conversion project. Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam (DSAm) is converting a platform supply vessel into a fish feed carrier that will improve efficiency and sustainability in the Norwegian aquaculture industry.
“One of the main things that made Damen stand out as a strong candidate in the tender process was their previous experience with the vessel,” explains Vidar Eidsvaag, general manager and owner at Eidsvaag. The vessel, now renamed Eidsvaag Opal, was part of a six-vessel order Damen built for the offshore supply company, World Wide Supply, and was delivered in 2013.
The tender was won by Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam (DSAm), which was the most suitable yard in the group for the project, based on its facilities and its proximity to Niron Staal, Damen’s specialist steel fabricator. And the conversion does involve a lot of steelwork. The Eidsvaag Opal arrived at the yard in the final weeks of 2019, where the stripping soon got underway. The first order of business was the removal of the main deck, after which the vessel was cut in half and the sub-contractor Mammoet moved the aft section of the vessel 10 metres back in order to allow space for the fitting of the new 4.9-metre section.
31 new steel sections are now being inserted into the hull and divided into sponsons and the new big bag hold. In total, 650 tonnes of new steel will be fabricated by Niron Staal and installed in Eidsvaag Opal while she is in drydock at DSAm. 300 tons of redundant ship’s structure will also be removed as part of the conversion process.
The project will also include increasing the beam with side boxes to give additional stability and extra cargo capacity. Each side box will be 1.2 meters. Damen will install 35 silos as well as cargo holds. When complete, the vessel will be able to transport 2,800 tons of feed at a time. there will be 5 new cranes as well as the discharger installed.
“It is really helping speed up the project with Damen already being familiar with the design of the ship,” continues Vidar. “Of course, there were other reasons for their success in the tender process. In addition to knowledge of the actual vessel, Damen was able to demonstrate the successful completion of a relevant conversion for the aquaculture industry.”
Damen’s previous track record includes the conversion of a Damen Combi Coaster into a fish feed transportation vessel. This involved the shipbuilder shortening the vessel in order to provide the added manoeuvrability necessary for operating within fish farms. The vessel was then outfitted with 64 silos for the transportation of different types of fish food.
