The Ocean Farm 1 from SalMar ASA - offshore salmon farming at industrial scale
28.06.2026 - 05:43:48 | ad-hoc-news.de
Reviewed: ad hoc news Classics & Longseller desk. Edited and checked on 2026-06-28, 05:43. Details in the imprint.
Ocean Farm 1 from SalMar ASA sits out in rough Norwegian waters, a round steel giant that looks more like an offshore rig than a fish farm. You hear wind and waves at the railing, smell salt spray, and feel the deck vibrate as the pens move under the swell.
How Ocean Farm 1 is built
Ocean Farm 1 is a semi-submersible offshore cage system designed to hold several thousand tonnes of Atlantic salmon in open sea conditions. The structure combines a circular steel frame with deep nets and ballast columns that keep the unit stable even in heavy waves.
The installation was developed with technology partners from the oil and gas sector, borrowing design elements from floating drilling rigs and FPSOs. That industrial heritage shows in the heavy-duty walkways, large winches, and robust safety rails that line the outer ring of the farm.
From fjord pens to offshore farming
For SalMar, Ocean Farm 1 marks a shift from traditional sheltered-fjord pens to exposed ocean sites where currents are stronger and water exchange is more consistent. Stronger currents help keep waste from accumulating and can support fish welfare by providing cleaner, cooler water.
Walking across the structure, a farm technician sees fish beneath the surface through inspection hatches and camera feeds rather than leaning over small pens in quiet bays. The work feels more like an offshore shift, with crew arriving by boat and spending block hours out on the farm.
Background on SalMar ASA shares
Ocean Farm 1 is part of SalMar’s strategy to move more production offshore, a shift that matters for long-term margins and for holders of SalMar shares.
What daily work feels like
On Ocean Farm 1, farm manager Gustav Witzøe Jr. and his crew move along the circular walkway with harnesses clipped to safety lines. Underfoot, the metal grating feels cold and slightly slippery from sea spray, so every step is deliberate even on calm days.
Feeding systems are automated, with pellets blown through pipes into the pens while underwater cameras check appetite and fish behavior. Crew monitor screens in a control cabin that hums with electronics, fans, and radio chatter instead of relying only on the naked eye.
Fish welfare and biosecurity
The offshore location aims to reduce lice pressure and disease risk compared with crowded inner-fjord sites. Strong currents and lower temperatures can slow parasite development, while distance from other farms improves biosecurity and reduces the chance of cross-infection.
SalMar uses sensors to monitor oxygen, temperature, and current speed in real time, adjusting feeding and stocking density to keep conditions within defined welfare limits. The target is a consistent environment where salmon grow steadily without the stress peaks seen in some near-shore sites.
Engineering challenges and limits
Operating Ocean Farm 1 comes with engineering compromises. The structure must balance flexibility to ride the waves with rigidity to keep pens from collapsing, which adds weight and complexity compared with simple fjord cages.
Maintenance is tougher offshore, because crews need stable weather windows for inspection and repair. When storms roll in, technicians secure loose equipment, check moorings, and then leave the farm to ride out the worst conditions from shore rather than working through the night.
Costs, capacity, and economics
Ocean Farm 1 represents a high upfront investment relative to conventional pens, with complex steel, mooring, and control systems. The economic bet is that higher volumes per unit and potentially lower biological losses can offset capital and operating costs over time.
The installation is designed for large biomass capacity, spreading fixed costs over many fish. Yet insurance, offshore logistics, and more demanding safety protocols also add line items, so profitability depends on both biological performance and stable salmon prices.
Regulation and environmental scrutiny
Norwegian regulators watch offshore projects like Ocean Farm 1 closely, assessing seabed impact, escape risk, and interaction with wild salmon. Environmental groups track data on benthic conditions and lice levels to judge whether open-ocean farming is cleaner than coastal operations.
SalMar reports on environmental indicators and collaborates with authorities on monitoring programs around the site. That transparency is necessary to secure long-term site licenses and to open further offshore locations beyond the first demonstration farm.
Why investors still watch it
All told, Ocean Farm 1 is less about one site and more about proving that offshore salmon farming can be scaled safely and economically. The project feeds into SalMar’s broader strategy to move more biomass into exposed and offshore locations over the next years.
SalMar shares (ISIN NO0010310956) are listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, and the performance of offshore initiatives like Ocean Farm 1 remains a key narrative point for investors following the company’s production and margin outlook.
Key data on Ocean Farm 1
- Product: Ocean Farm 1
- Manufacturer: SalMar ASA
- Category: Classic offshore salmon farm installation
- Launch: First deployment mid-2010s as a demonstration offshore farm
- RRP / Price: Industrial investment project, not sold retail
- Availability: Located off the Norwegian coast, operated by SalMar
- Target group: Professional salmon farming operations within SalMar
- Highlight / USP: Offshore semi-submersible structure designed for industrial-scale salmon farming in open-ocean conditions
This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information without guarantee; prices and availability may change at short notice. No investment advice, no buy or sell recommendation. Stock-market transactions involve risks up to total loss.
