Biofilter issues at Proximar Seafood
The Japan salmon farmer has reported a structural failure with the biofilter in one of the modules
Yesterday Proximar Seafood experienced what it called "a failure in the support for the biofilter media" in module C.
"We have had a failure in the support beams that hold up the biofilter. Therefore, we must first remove the biofilter, then repair the support beams, and then put the biofilter back again. The biofilter itself can be reused," Proximar chief executive Joachim Nielsen told LandbasedAQ.
"The incident has not resulted in mortality. Measures have been implemented to maintain satisfactory water quality, and biological levels have been stable since the incident," the company wrote in a stock exchange announcement.
300 tonnes in module
The standing biomass in module C is approximately 300 tonnes, and the company has started transferring the fish to another operational module. This work is expected to be completed within a week.
"The start of a new module, module D, has been accelerated to compensate," the company stated.
Module C will not be operational until the repairs are completed.
"Selected batches of fish will be slaughtered somewhat earlier than planned to free up capacity in the operational modules and ensure good fish health until module C is repaired."
Impacts harvest by 5%
The harvest plan for 2024 and 2025 is expected to be reduced by around 5% compared to the previously communicated 4,700 gutted weight tonnes.
Proximar also said it will upgrade the other operational modules to avoid similar structural incidents.
"This is related to reinforcing any weak points and is not expected to be extensive work that will affect production. So far, we do not have a clear answer on the cause, but this is something we will work on investigating in the near future," Nielsen told LandbasedAQ.
In the stock exchange announcement, Proximar said the incident is not expected to affect production.
"The company has contacted relevant insurance companies regarding coverage of damages, repairs, and relevant losses. Updated information will be provided in the company's next trading update early in January 2025," the Norwegian-owned company said.
