November 13, 2025

Nordlak's salmon farm container on the way to Norway from Turkish shipyard

Nordlaks' Project Hydra has reached a new phase as the project's salmon farm is on its way to Norway from a shipyard in Istanbul, Turkey.

Nordlaks signed a contract with Turkish shipyard group Gemak in January 2022 to build Project Hydra, which now carries the name Storbåtsegget, or "big boat egg."

The goal of the project is to establish closed-containment salmon farming at a site in Sørvika, Norway. Nordlaks announced on its Linkedin page that the large structure is being transported by the ocean freighter GPO Emerald.

Nordlaks originally took over Hydra Salmon Company in February 2021, and prior to that takeover, Hydra had been granted four development permits for the creation of a "production tank" concept. Nordlaks continued that development, and contracted with the shipyard to deliver the facility – originally scheduled for Q1 2024 prior to delays.

"The idea behind the concept is to exploit the comparative advantages for salmon farming that Norway has, and at the same time use technical solutions to address environmental challenges such as sea lice," Nordlaks chief executive officer Eirik Welde said in 2021.

"This is a good solution also from a sustainability and fish welfare perspective. When we take over this development project, Nordlaks is also embarking on a new and interesting development path."

Nordlaks joins other Norwegian salmon farming companies in closed-containment solutions. Norwegian salmon company SalMar has also created a closed-containment system it calls the Marine Donut, which has undergone two salmon production cycles.

Salmon farming company Mowi also considered using a Marine Egg concept but ultimately sold both concepts in 2022. 

- SeafoodSource