The Norwegian company Columbi Salmon is investing 150 million euros in the construction of an above-ground salmon farm in the port of Ostend. “Overhead salmon”, what is that? And what will this company be doing in Ostend?
Columbi Salmon will start next year with the construction of an above-ground salmon farm in the port of Ostend. The company will farm salmon in tanks that are on land. From 2023 it aims to farm 15,000 tons of Atlantic salmon per year, Belga reports. In this way, the company wants to become the largest farm for Atlantic salmon on land in Europe.
The company was founded by two Norwegians who analyzed the salmon sector for a Norwegian bank, Nordea. The largest investor is Refsnes Laks, a Norwegian salmon farm.
Ivar Refsnes, chairman of Refsnes Laks and operational director of Columbi Salmon, tells VRT NWS that the company wants to produce close to the sales market. The Benelux and France would be the largest sales market for Norwegian salmon in the world.
“Three things are important for a salmon farm: a large area, enough energy and enough water,” says Refsnes. All three conditions are present in Ostend, he says. The site will occupy a total of 13.5 hectares.
Finally, Refsnes spoke about the business-friendly atmosphere at the port of Ostend. “They mainly fell for our services,” says the chairwoman of the port Charlotte Verkeyn. The location and proximity of the Ostend Science Park (OSP) were also appreciated. “It ensures that academics and doctoral students are present to guide them in this.”
