Supporting our customers

The Eidsvaag Omega is a regular visitor to the Port of Hobart.

The 93-metre-long fish feed carrier transports aquafeed produced by Skretting Australia in Cambridge and Westbury directly to ports on New Zealand’s south island east coast (for King salmon farms) and to Townsville in far north Queensland (for prawn farms).

It is a continuation of Skretting’s long-term commitment to the aquaculture sector in Tasmania, mainland Australia and New Zealand.

The company’s Marketing Manager, Dr Rhys Hauler, said the vessel transported about 2500 tonnes of aquafeed per trip.

“We service each destination every few months,” he said. “The vessel is turned around in Hobart over a few days, depending on the weather and logistical requirements.”

“The facilitation support we have received from TasPorts has been excellent and a key factor in the introduction of the service, working closely with us and our partners to streamline the service.”

“We have transported raw materials back into the state on the vessel, but we are exploring more and more raw material options from New Zealand and Mainland Australia.”

TasPorts Group Executive Commercial and Trade, Phil Hoggett said the company was committed to providing freight and logistics solutions which deliver the best possible outcomes to customers like Skretting.

“We remain focused on delivering reliable and efficient port infrastructure and services to all users of our facilities around Tasmania, and it’s tremendous to be a part of a thriving business story like Skretting,” Mr Hoggett said.

Dr Hauler said Skretting Australia was making a significant contribution to Tasmania’s value of international exports figures.

“A Department of State Growth report reveals that the value of ‘prepared animal feeds” exported from Tasmania to New Zealand between 2018/19 to 2021/21 totalled A$97.51 million,” he said.

“We very much see this as transporting value created in regional Tasmania to remote communities in Australia and New Zealand and supporting the sustainable growth of the aquaculture industry.”

Dr Hauler said the charter of the vessel for Skretting Australia was a strong demonstration of the company’s ongoing commitment to the industry in Australia and New Zealand.

“We have recently acquired the Westbury extrusion mill, expanding our manufacturing capacity, and have opened offices in Invercargill in southern New Zealand, and Proserpine in far north Queensland” he said.

“Through these offices we are able to collaborate directly with our clients, logistics providers, and other industry experts.”

Skretting has production facilities in 19 countries on five continents, manufacturing high quality feeds from hatching to harvest for more than 60 species.