Dutch engineering company OOS International, through its OOS SMF division, has partnered with local research non-profit Deltares on the development of a new type of semi-submersible mussel farm for deployment in the North Sea and other offshore areas.
The project team decided upon the deployment of examples of the farm in and around offshore wind sites as a viable means of ensuring continued production of mussels in the face of declining numbers in traditional sheltered areas.
Testing of a physical model of the farm will be conducted next year at Deltares' facilities in Delft. A real-time pilot test will also be undertaken at the Borssele offshore wind farms.
OOS said that based on the results of the model test and the real-time pilot, the final semi-submersible unit will be developed and taken into production in collaboration with mussel farmers, processing companies, and trading companies.
