Gael Force repurpose SeaCap feed barges in upcycling project
One of the newly refurbished SeaCap feed barges. Photo credit: Ben Hadfield, Mowi Scotland.
As part of a consolidation project by Mowi Scotland to reduce from four farms to three, Gael Force will deliver five re-purposed SeaCap feed barges that ensure all operations and the visual appearance of the sites meet the highest standards, with fully up-to-date feed systems and hybrid power solutions.
The upcycling of redundant concrete barge hulls into low-profile energy-efficient hybrid barges will provide sustainability benefits and cost savings of approximately £4 million relative to purchasing new feed barges.
Three of these refurbished barges will be used in Loch Etive (acquired from Dawnfresh in 2022) and will feed remotely from the shore base, reducing marine traffic on the loch and vessel emissions. The other two barges will be used for Mowi’s operations in Ireland. We have completed two of these barges and our team is hard at work on the third.
The challenge of how to deal with end-of-life small concrete barges has been a question we have considered over many years with the options including fully dismantling them, decommissioning them, or re-purposing them.
Stewart Graham commented on the solution: "We came up with the lowest impact idea to upcycle the SeaCap feed barges to unmanned low-profile feeding units. With the advances in technology and barges now being able to be remotely operated from feed control centres, it became clear that there was a potential large sustainability and economic upside to upcycling the barges."
He continued, "We reconfigured the designs, removing the superstructure thereby lowering the profile and the visual impact, and fitting new up-to-date Gael Force SeaFeed systems and hybrid power solutions."
“All design and upgrade works are carried out at our quayside location in Inverness. It is a superb example of low environmental impact and low-cost repurposing of an existing asset which, due to the hybrid system fitted, will now also run with very significant energy savings. We congratulate Mowi for its vision and commitment to this ongoing upcycling project."
A significant goal of the project has been to reduce the impact of these vessels on the environment and visual landscape.
Speaking on the consultation undertaken with local residents, Area Manager for Dawnfresh, Clara MacGhee explained "Residents were largely supportive of the changes to lower profile equipment and hybrid battery barges. Some fairly stated that farming operations could be tidier, so this shift is an important step to reduce the impact on the surrounding area."
Dougie Gibson, a specialist in vessel and barge engineering, said: “The refurbishment and re-use of these redundant barges is a great use of resources with a positive outcome for the environment. All five barges are being fitted with soundproofing and designed to lessen the height and visual profile, reducing emissions and noise.”
Dougie continued: “Working constructively together with the multi-disciplined Gael Force team at its facility in Inverness has delivered this successful project outcome for Mowi. Not only does this project represent an excellent example of the industry benefits from upcycling aquaculture assets, but it also demonstrates to the wider aquaculture sector the breadth and depth of technical engineering competence that exists within Scotland.”
