New Zealand King Salmon (NZKS) has taken a major step forward in the evolution of its farming operations with the introduction of New Zealand’s first wellboat, the Ronja King.
Image: The ‘Ronja King’ – New Zealand’s first wellboat, a 57-metre-long live fish transfer vessel operated by Sølvtrans
A wellboat is a specialised vessel designed to transport live fish in large, carefully controlled seawater tanks. Often described as a “floating aquarium”, wellboats are standard infrastructure across the global salmon industry, and until now, New Zealand has been the only major salmon-producing country not using this technology.
After receiving shareholder approval at its Annual Shareholders Meeting today (Wednesday 18 February), the Ronja King officially joins NZKS’s fleet.
“This is a transformational moment for our business and the New Zealand salmon sector – an important step in building a more resilient, efficient, and future-ready company. The wellboat strengthens the resilience of our core operations, lifts fish welfare standards, and provides greater flexibility to farm productively and efficiently, both now and into the future. As a core piece of infrastructure, it will also enable us to sustainably farm in the open ocean,” said Carl Carrington, Chief Executive Officer NZKS.
Once operational, the wellboat is expected to boost annual harvest volumes by around 2,000 metric tonnes annually, potentially generating $60 million or more in additional annual revenue. There would be an additional lift in harvest volumes and revenue once Blue Endeavour is operational and scaled.
The 57-metre-long vessel, operated under a long-term lease with Sølvtrans–one of the world’s leading wellboat operators–is expected to arrive in New Zealand waters in April.
“The wellboat fundamentally changes our farming approach, equipping us to scale responsibly while maintaining stability and high performance across our existing farms. It’s truly a game changer,” says Carrington.
Image: NZKS CEO Carl Carrington
Key benefits of a wellboat
- Significantly enhances the performance of NZKS’s inshore farms by enabling the utilisation of our feed discharge allowance, through the relocation of fish from higher-risk sites during seasonal changes, supporting improved welfare and optimal farm utilisation year-round.
- Essential for future open-ocean expansion, serving as the cornerstone asset for the Blue Endeavour project.
- Generates economic benefits for the Top of the South region, requiring local berthing, servicing, logistics, and maritime support.
- Facilitates safer and more controlled movement of fish between sites, improved stock grading operations, and early removal of underperforming fish. This reduces biological risks and supports industry-leading biosecurity practices, such as single-year class farming and site fallowing.
About the Ronja King
The Ronja King is a 57-metre vessel featuring two tanks with a combined well capacity of 1,000 cubic metres and a gross tonnage of 1,276 tonnes. Operated by Sølvtrans, the global leader in wellboat services, the vessel also supports the Tasmanian salmon industry. The name “Ronja King” honours Sølvtrans’ tradition –“Ronja” combines the names of the founders’ children, with “King” recognising its connection to NZKS and the King salmon species.
About Blue Endeavour
Blue Endeavour will be New Zealand’s first open-ocean salmon farm and the world’s first of its kind for King salmon (Chinook). Open-ocean salmon aquaculture involves farming salmon in enclosed pens anchored to the seabed in exposed marine environments.
Located seven kilometres off Cape Lambert, outside the Marlborough Sounds, the farm will comprise two blocks of ten circular pens, occupying less than 12 surface hectares. Once fully operational, Blue Endeavour will have the capacity to produce approximately 10,000 metric tonnes of King salmon, with anticipated annual revenue of $350 million.
Blue Endeavour pilot pens are already in Te Hoiere / Pelorus Sound, marking progress towards open ocean farming. Watch the video here to see the latest developments, and visit our website Open Ocean – Blue Endeavour | New Zealand King Salmon for more information on Blue Endeavour.
Further information:
To request a media pack, including the video and images of the project to date, or request an interview, please contact Monique Hatfull, Head of Relationships & Communications, monique.hatfull@kingsalmon.co.nz.
ENDS