Cunningham teams up with major aquaculture technology supplier Gael Force Group in ground-breaking fish containment solution – SeaQureWell™
- Long-term partnership agreed with expert producer of ‘clever protective covers’ and enclosures, Cunningham Covers.
- The aquaculture equipment and technology manufacturer Gael Force Group aim at delivering working semi-closed containment prototype in 2024.
- Serge Ferrari set to supply its unique ‘Precontraint’ technology membranes for semi-closed containment fish farming.
Cunninghams are known for their expertise and large factory capacity, manufacturing clever protective covers and containment products from high-tech, high-strength flexible materials.
Their experience in creating durable and customized solutions spans more than 50 years. Today they produce and supply a range of specialised cover products for aerospace, offshore, and aquaculture applications. For Aquaculture, these include fresh-water treatment bags, fresh-water storage bags, lice skirts, and other custom tarpaulin textile products.
Due to this announcement and growth in other key sectors, Cunningham not only seek to significantly extend their Maghera manufacturing facility, but will be recruiting a further 28 skilled workers. This investment further cements Cunningham on its journey to becoming the world’s leading manufacturer of Clever Protective Covers.
SeaQureWell™ Aquaculture Sector
Gael Force Group has taken a substantial step forward in its plans to deliver its integrated SeaQureFarm™ by announcing this exclusive partnership with Cunningham Covers in Northern Ireland. The partnership will include prototyping and production of their ground-breaking semi-closed containment solution for the aquaculture sector, SeaQureWell™, in 2024.
For this partnership, Gael Force and Cunningham Covers have also entered a supply partner agreement with the global leader in flexible composite materials, Serge Ferrari. They will provide highly advanced Precontraint technology and membranes to enhance the performance and durability of the SeaQureWell™ system. The use of innovative materials will contribute to the system’s robustness, flexibility, and resistance to environmental factors.
SeaQureFarm™ has the potential to unlock global ambition for a greener, carbon-friendly, and more efficient way of producing healthy, nutritious food protein. This will be done through improving the sustainability of sea farming. It is designed to deliver improved fish health, reduced predation, prevent seabed depositions and reduce egg-to-plate emissions. All of this can be carried out whilst enabling on-farm circular economies and turning waste into an energy solution.
SeaQureWell™ will be constructed of high-quality composite membrane material. This will be cut and welded by Cunningham to form the ‘Well’. It will have a structural floatation at the surface, a rigid sub-surface service and support structure. It aims to provide and maintain a secure controlled environment to safeguard healthy growing fish against external environmental threats. Common threats include sea lice, gill amoeba, jellyfish and algae bloom. These will also help protect against sea mammal predation. Additionally, faecal depositions along with any uneaten food will also be captured in the ‘Well’ for on-site recovery and reduction for reuse.
Gael Force Group
Gael Force Group Managing Director, Stewart Graham, commented:
“By announcing this next major step forward in the development of SeaQureFarm™, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to the continual improvement of a greener, carbon-friendly way to sustainably produce a healthy, nutritious food protein. We share the sector’s ambition of minimising environmental footprints and moving closer to a goal of achieving net zero. In partnership with Cunningham Covers, supported by Serge Ferrari as our specialised material supply partner, I am extremely confident that our collective experience and expertise will enable us to move the dial considerably towards that target.”
Cunningham Covers Managing Director, David Cunningham, commented:
“We are delighted to be a long-term partner with Gael Force in this project. Our two companies share core values, ethos and long-term ambition to grow our presence together in the semi-closed containment fish farming sector, combining the considerable and complementary strengths of both companies.”
Picture above: Cunningham manufacturing facility located in Maghera where the proposed factory extension is to be built with the creation of 28 new jobs..
