OCEANIS 2 | Submersible Cage used for Fish Farming in icy conditions

A new step in the development of submersible cages has finally been achieved in Finland.

Thanks to the collaboration between the Natural Resources Institute of Finland (Luke) and Badinotti Marine, a new model of OCEANIS 2 has been installed.

The submersible cage is located between the Aland and Kustavi sea areas, in the archipelago adjacent to the city of Turku (Gulf of Bothnia).

“The idea behind this project is to have something completely submersible to stock fish below the ice, and below the surface of the water,” says Alessandro Ciattaglia, Sales and Marketing Manager for Badinotti Europe.

“For Finnish aquaculture, this project could help to open up a lot of different locations offshore.”

The project, delayed due to the severe restrictions caused by the COVID pandemic, ended positively in July.  The project’s goal is to test a structure for trout farming. Even with continuous ice build-up on the surface, the structure should allow activity. This is very important due to the long winter periods experienced in this area of Finland. In fact, in winter, the cage farm procedures are exposed to the risk of icing and uncontrolled drifting on the surface of the water.

Badinotti Marine took these risks into account when they designed a larger cage in comparison to their existing Oceanis 2 model. This model has already been installed worldwide.

• The larger cage size was increased to 25 mt in diameter (80 mt circumference)
• The cage net has a depth of 14 mt

Due to the specific requirement of this project, this Badinotti Marine submersible cage also has a completely submerged mooring system. The entire cage system is permanently underwater: mooring lines, grid system, and mooring buoys. This ensures the cage is not affected by the risks posed by drifting ice.

What is next for Badinotti Marine in Finland? Our outlook is very optimistic.

Ciattaglia states: “There are vast areas in Finnish territorial waters with significant potential for marine farming.” He continues: “Although further study on ice and its movements is required, trout farming, in particular, is likely to get a boost from using the same cage all year round.”

Finnish markets want fish and specifically those harvested in local waters so we look forward to Badinotti increasing its presence in Finnish waters.

For questions regarding our submersible cages, please contact Alessandro Ciatagglia, Division Manager, Badinotti Marine Europe, at alessandro.ciattaglia@badinotti.com