First Specialized Multi-Purpose Seaweed Vessel

Exciting news from the Faroe Islands – on September 1, 2021, Ocean Rainforest had the formal handover ceremony with christening of the first special build multi-purpose seaweed vessel to their fleet. She was named Breiðbløðka, which is a Faroese name variation of sugar kelp (S. latissima). The vessel was new built no. 59 from KJ Hydraulic – a local shipbuilder of working boats for the aquaculture industry. 

Carter Roberts, President and CEO of World Wildelife Fund, participated in the christening ceremony, manifesting the organization’s strong belief in the potential of seaweed to benefit people, communities and climate. WWF’s investment into Ocean Rainforest is helping to further pioneer technology that will advance offshore seaweed farming – starting with this new vessel.  

Breiðbløðka will enable the Ocean Rainforest team to increase their harvesting capacity 5-fold, deploy the rigs and mooring for expanding cultivation sites, and seed new lines in the challenging offshore locations of the North Atlantic.  

“This marks a huge milestone, ensuring us to meet our great expansion plans this winter and for the years to come,” says Olavur Gregersen, co-founder and CEO of the company.  

This announcement is not only a major breakthrough for Ocean Rainforest, but also the young and emerging seaweed sector as a whole – it is ready to scale up!