Friday, March 22, 2024

DNV and Ocean Sovereign sign agreement to comply with French regulations for the deployment of the Ocean Ark

March 22, 2024 - DNV, the independent assurance and risk management provider, has teamed up with Ocean Sovereign to obtain French registration for the deployment of innovative fish farming vessel the Ocean Ark.

The Ocean Ark


Ocean Ark, a patented advanced self-cleaning trimaran superstructure, was developed by Ocean Sovereign according to Marpol, Solas and IMO regulations. The vessel is designed with low density to operate in high offshore waters, drifting with the natural current and natural fish shoals. it is designed to ensure sufficient safety for the environment, fish and crew. The mobile nature of Ocean Ark will help to ensure the health and welfare of the fish and ensure that the fish are kept in their natural habitat.

DNV will support Ocean Sovereign with business-critical challenges and innovations, designed to prevent fish escape and reduce risk of technical failure in operation by delivering:

  • Classification of the floating structure/vessel and marine systems
  • Certification of mooring/dynamic positioning system
  • Certification of aquaculture nets and systems
  • Assessing operation and integrity controls during the design lifetime

To achieve this, DNV will work with Ocean Sovereign by setting up a regulatory framework to fulfil local requirements in alignment with rules and standards of the French authorities.

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food producing sector able to meet the nutritional needs of a growing world population. Deploying the innovative Ocean Ark vessel away from marine heatwaves, algae blooms and storms - aquaculture's three Archille's heels - aims to increase fish welfare, produce higher quality protein, and increase world fish production without increasing pressures on fish stocks and coastal habitats.

"Offshore fish production is based on a combination of two well-known concepts, fish farming and offshore technology, and therefore a cross-industry approach and know-how is needed," explains Ocean Sovereign General Manager, Zeyd Fassi Fehri. "At Ocean Sovereign, we are happy to join forces with DNV and benefit from their knowledge gained through decades of experience in these two fields that will allow us to safely deploy the vessels. We believe that DNV's extensive experience in offshore and fish farming will help us to play a key role in the deployment of our vessels under French Registration."

In addition to its high-quality standards and being Europe's largest market for salmon, France also has one of the world's largest maritime exclusive economic zones across the oceans.

"As well as sustainability and fish welfare, the inclusion of local communities is embedded into every Ocean Sovereign project. The deployment of the Ocean Ark offers many synergies and growth opportunities for the existing local aquaculture and fishing sector," confirms Zeyd Fassi Fehri. "To seize these opportunities, agreements have been reached with well-established French aquaculture and fishing stakeholders and will be released shortly."

"DNV is proud to safeguard innovative technology to deliver sustainable seafood products to consumers," said Thomas Vogth-Eriksen, Global Aquaculture Director at DNV Supply Chain & Product Assurance. "As a global leader in advancing the safety, efficiency and sustainability of a range of ocean-based industries, we are particularly pleased to support knowledge-driven solutions that contribute to the sustainable growth of the aquaculture sector."

For more information, visit HERE.

The Aquaculturists

Thursday, March 21, 2024

What to expect at Aqua Farm 2024

March 21, 2024 - A well-developed conference program based on the theme 'Increased seafood consumption through aquaculture development using an environmental, social, governance and health framework' will soon be announced for the SeaWorld, Gold Coast event between 14-17 May 2024.

Two of the recent confirmations are of the highest order. Firstly, His Serene Highness Price Albert II of Monaco will provide a recorded message for the conference delegates.

HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, a qualified and keen marine biologist, supports many activities relating to the Ocean; among those in the Monaco Blue Initiative (MBI), which is a unique platform for debate tat brings together major players in Ocean conservation and governance to reflect on the key challenges facing the future Ocean in a concrete and forward-looking way.

Secondly, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have sanctioned a roundtable on 'Social Responsibility in Aquaculture Production' which is an important topic as this will be a keystone for how businesses throughout the chain will operate into the future.

FAO will issue some direction and the main purpose will be to brainstorm and discuss the best way to frame the aquaculture section of the FAO Guidance on Social Responsibility on the Fishereies and Aquaculture Value Chains, a document they will be providing all the member states for approval at a future Committee on Fisheries (COFI) meeting.

Issues such as how to address social problems in aquaculture to improve decent working conditions, including safety at workspace; how to 'translate' the existing international instruments into a pragmatic approach, including a simple language and, what other topics, cross-cutting aspects should be included?

The Conference has two workshops and two roundtables. Workshops will be the Sunderland Marine Insurance-inspired 'Risk Management Workshop' and a 'Governance in Aquaculture' workshop sponsored by Aquarius Lawyers. The roundtables will be the FAO-driven activity and AISP will lead 'Creating a Road Map for Seafood Consumption.'

Trident sponsor, Vendart Diagnostics is relatively new to the aquatic industry but is a second-time exhibitor at Aqua Farm. Vendart is the supplier of well-tested, reliable Macherey Nagel and LaMotte water analysis products, and under license manufacturers a range of LaMotte reagents in their laboratory, creating quick delivery times and longer shelf life.

Additionally, Vendart is the supplier of the WaterLink Spin Touch FX photometer which enables you to run a complete series of tests on your water sample, including alkalinity, ammonia, calcium, magnesium, total hardness, nitrate, nitrite, pH and phosphate. The process is uncomplicated - all you need is a 3 mL water sample and a disc (either fresh or salt water). Fill the disc, insert it into the meter and tap 'Start Test' and you will achieve precise results within 2 minutes. This system eliminates human error and interpretation and does all the demanding work for you.

Vendart will be one of a number of exhibitors at the expo sitting alongside the Conference. The drink/food breaks will take place in the expo area, allowing the exhibitors to engage and network with all the delegates. The exhibitors will engage through sessions and promote their products/services with interested parties. 

For more information, visit HERE.

The Aquaculturists

Friday, March 15, 2024

KAS announces $3M funding round to expand production of natural algae astaxanthin

March 15, 2024 - Kuehnle AgroSystems (KAS), a leading microalgal innovation and production company, recently announced that it has raised a $3 million Series A2 funding round led by S2G Ventures. The funding will accelerate the commercialisation of KAS's pioneering method for producing natural astaxanthin from micro algae, a key component in sustainable aquaculture systems as well as a clinically proven human nutraceutical.


KAS has patented an innovative process that uses dark fermentation in closed and vertical tank systems to produce high-quality natural algae astaxanthin. Utilising a more sustainable feedstock and production method than current natural and synthetic astaxanthin production methods, KAS's process results in lower production costs, higher yields, faster growth times and less water and energy consumption.

Astaxanthin is a carotenoid with antioxidant properties present in natural aquatic algae, which is consumed by salmonids and shrimp and gives these species their characteristic red colour. In aquaculture systems, which produce over 50 percent of the seafood we eat globally, astaxanthin is incorporated to provide similar pigments. However, 95 percent of astaxanthin currently used in aquaculture feed is synthetic and derived from petrochemicals. KAS aims to replace synthetic with natural algal astaxanthin, addressing a market that is estimated to be valued at around $3.7 billion.

"Strong consumer preference for natural inputs is expected to accelerate the transition from synthetic to natural astaxanthin," said Claude Kaplan, Chief Executive Officer of KAS. "With our ability to generate greater astaxanthin output volumes, quicker and at a reduced cost compared to light-dependent methods, this funding strongly positions KAS to respond to the rapidly expanding needs of the market."

"KAS's fermentation breakthrough, natural strain development process, and sustainable production method all have the potential to transform the natural astaxanthin market, a key input for more sustainable aquaculture practices that can drive better outcomes for people and the planet," said Larsen Mettler, Managing Director at S2G Ventures. "We are proud to be part of KAS's journey and look forward to supporting the impact they are poised to make in the market."

Existing backers of KAS include Aqua-Spark, Hatch and Cavallo Ventures.

"We continue to be impressed by the KAS team's capacity to leverage their scientific and commercial knowledge to produce a truly innovative solution for replacing synthetic with natural astaxanthin," said Lissy Smit, CEO of Aqua-Spark. 'As the aquaculture industry continues to grow at a rapid pace, we need more companies like KAS that are solving core challenges in the value chain to ensure our food system is healthier and more sustainable for consumers and the planet."

KAS will initially launch with its European-based production partner with the capacity to distribute globally. This new funding will enable KAS to exploit its ability to use standard fermentation equipment, to swiftly expand production through leveraging contract manufacturers, with the option to bring production in-house in the future. And while KAS' process is inherently more resource efficient than competitors, the company's technology also holds future potential for recycling the gas generated during fermentation to produce feedstock to be fed back into the fermentation process creating fully circular algal products.

For more information, visit HERE.

The Aquaculturists