Fusion Marine

Fusion Marine is involved in a ground-breaking project, selected by the European Commission and funded by the FP7 under Ocean of Tomorrow initiative, to develop a design concept for an economically and environmentally sustainable multiple use open sea platform. The multi-partner H2OCEAN project aims to develop a design proposition for an offshore p... latform that harnesses as many potential uses from the surrounding marine environment as possible, including renewable energy generation and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture production (IMTA). At a time of increasing pressures on our vulnerable marine environment, the integrated concept will look at ways of using the ocean and the synergies between different industry sectors in an efficient and sustainable manner. Seventeen partners from five European countries are participating in the project. Fusion Marine, the Scottish based aquaculture equipment supplier and consultant, will focus its expertise in developing a design for an IMTA unit on the platform so as to achieve a natural balance in the management of the water area. Also involved in the aquaculture element are project manager Viking Fish Farms, the Scottish aquaculture research and experimental station; Chlamys, an Italian SME specialising in the ecology and environmental impact of aquaculture systems; and Sustainable Technologies, a Spanish engineering company involved in waste and biomass treatment. The combined brief includes designing a system for the combined culture of finfish, seaweed and shellfish in a novel 'ecosystem' approach to marine farming. Seaweed, for example, reduces excessive nutrients in the water, which in turn will benefit other fish and shellfish being farmed. Incorporated into the design concept will be the facility on the platform to process the farmed seafood, including the implementation of biodigesters to handle and recycle waste products. Other parts of the project will look at energy production such as wind and wave power, as well as the conversion of energy into hydrogen ...Read More