Norwegian fish transport company Sølvtrans recently took delivery of a new wellboat built by compatriot shipyard Aas Mekaniske Verksted (Aas Mek).
Ronja Vita is a sister vessel of Ronja Queen, which was delivered to Sølvtrans in 2023. Aas Mek will hand over the entire series of seven wellboats by 2025.
As with its sisters, Ronja Vita has an LOA of 76.96 metres, a beam of 17.8 metres, a draught of five metres, a depth of 5.9 metres, and two tanks with a total live transport capacity of 3,000 cubic metres, which is equivalent to 450 tonnes of fish.
Aas Mek said the design incorporates a low draught in relation to load capacity, which is specially adapted for transport of smolt with calls of smolt facilities and areas that may be difficult for larger, deeper-draught vessels to access.
The onboard equipment can transport fish in an open and closed system in a safe and gentle manner. A pressure loading and unloading system provides a safer alternative to vacuum pumps for handling fish.
To ensure fish hygiene, the vessel boasts a UV water treatment system, automated disinfection systems, a filter system for collecting lice, systems for logging water parameters, and onboard and underwater cameras so that the crew can monitor the conditions of the fish from without leaving the wheelhouse.