Recently, a damage occurred in the prototype of our closed-containment fish farming system, the Marine Donut, which was delivered to SalMar. The incident did not result in any fish escape, and necessary measures were quickly implemented to secure the facility and carry out repairs.
The incident has been reported to the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries as part of standard procedure.
At Bluegreen, we take such incidents very seriously and are working closely with SalMar to safeguard fish welfare, the environment, and the continued progress of the project.
“This is also a strong reminder of why prototyping is a crucial part of technology development,” says Nils-Johan Tufte, CEO of Bluegreen. “Our role as a technology provider is to learn, improve, and deliver robust solutions through real-world experience.”
Design improvements have already been made in the next version – Marine Donut 2.0.
“With the adjustments we’ve implemented, we’re even better prepared for future deliveries. Marine Donut is a groundbreaking solution, and this experience has made the technology even more robust,” says Geir Andresen, Commercial Director at Bluegreen.
He also emphasizes that such developments are a normal part of innovation:
“No major breakthrough in aquaculture has come without early challenges. It’s through experiences like this that we build safe, innovative, and forward-looking technology. We never take incidents like this lightly but work systematically with observation, dialogue, and improvement – always with a strong focus on fish welfare.”
Despite the incident, the production environment inside Marine Donut has remained excellent. The fish have shown low mortality, good appetite, and strong growth throughout the cycle. This confirms that the technology is working both technically and biologically – and strengthens our belief that Marine Donut represents a major step forward in the development of future closed containment systems.
