Borealis and AKVA launch workboat from renewable feedstock-based plastic
Key Highlights:
- Borealis and AKVA group deliver the world's first boat hull made from renewable raw materials.
- AKVA group’s Polarcirkel boats are known for their ability to endure extreme conditions, with a substantially reduced carbon footprint.
- Borealis’ Bornewables range of renewable polyolefins enables the Polarcirkel series to maintain exceptional performance standards while driving progress towards a circular economy.
Borealis and AKVA group announced a breakthrough in sustainable aquaculture: a workboat hull constructed from renewable plastic. The boat will be unveiled in Mo i Rana, Norway, in Spring 2024, marking a significant step forward for circularity in marine technology.
Borealis is a provider of advanced and sustainable polyolefin solutions whilst AKVA group is a technology provider to the aquaculture industry.
The Polarcirkel series is known for its practical design, exceptional reliability, and unmatched safety. Used in a wide range of industries, including fish farming, oil and gas, rescue, defence, Arctic tours, and recreational boating, these vessels can endure some of the most challenging conditions on the planet, from -40°C in Arctic regions to +55°C in the tropics.
Using Borealis’ Bornewables portfolio of renewable polyolefins, AKVA group can now offer these boats with a substantially reduced carbon footprint. Derived from renewable sources such as used cooking oil, the Bornewables offer the same material performance as virgin plastics, yet decoupled from fossil-based feedstock.
The hull is made from Borealis BorSafe HE3490-LS-HW grade, which is composed of 90% renewable content based on a Mass Balance approach. For every kilogram of polyolefin produced, this grade achieves an estimated reduction of 1.9kg of CO2 equivalent emissions when compared to a fossil-based equivalent.
AKVA group has also taken sustainability a step further, transporting materials to Mo i Rana by train to minimise the transportation carbon footprint.
These measures represent clear and measurable progress towards reducing climate impact and establishing a circular economy. In the near future, the partnership between Borealis and AKVA group is set to expand to cover a wider range of workboat components as well as floating aquaculture constructions made of pipes.
“The aquaculture industry is poised for a circular transformation, and we’re excited to lead the charge with the help of Borealis. Our first priority will always be the safety of the people on board our vessels, and it’s remarkable that this can now be achieved just as effectively with a much smaller carbon footprint,” said Freddy Bakken Braseth, general manager of the AKVA group department in Mo i Rana.
“We’re committed to supporting our customers to move away from traditional feedstock and to embrace renewable materials,” explained John Webster, Borealis global commercial director infrastructure.
“The use of the Bornewables in Polarcirkel affirms that high-performance standards can be met sustainably. This move is a significant step forward in our EverMinds mission to accelerate the transformation to a circular economy – with this we put reinventing essentials for sustainable living into full action.”