A custom-designed power unit drives the hydraulically-run factory on the refurbished Amaltal Columbia.

After the Amaltal Columbia caught fire in September 2012, the entire inside of the vessel had to be gutted and rebuilt. While the circumstances around the rebuild were not ideal, the opportunity was there to install a modern, state-of-the-art, hydraulically driven factory aboard the refurbished Columbia.

FPS won the contract for this work. The team went to Norway to get the new factory. From there, FPS built and installed all the hydraulic components and all the pipe work. They also designed and built a power unit specific to this factory because the space was so tight, a customised unit was needed. This power unit drives the entire hydraulically-run factory.

The project was completed in tight spaces and under tight timeframes. The client needed to get the ship back to sea as quickly as possible, and FPS delivered on schedule.

In recent years, FPS has completed half a dozen vessel factory refits with hydraulic systems as well as eight on-shore fish and aquaculture factories.