World's first closed steel aquaculture cage launched in Norway, will stock 200,000 fish for testing

On Sunday, November 1, 2026, Varig 001 was launched at Bauta Næringspark in Aukra, Norway. Bauta Fishfarms calls it the world's first closed steel fish farming cage.

Development of Varig began in spring 2024, and production started in spring 2026 at Bauta Næringspark in Aukra on the west coast of Norway. Gjermund Kvernmo Langset, Managing Director of Bauta Fishfarms and Chief Development Officer of Bauta Group, said in a press release: "Despite a tight project schedule, we managed to stay on track. Seeing this structure enter the water is a proud moment for everyone involved. We are incredibly proud of the team and everyone who contributed to this."

The closed steel structure is designed to provide greater control over the farming environment while helping to reduce the environmental impact of fish farming. The solution combines the owners' experience in steel structures, live fish carrier operations, and land-based and floating closed farming systems.

The ownership group consists of Bauta Group, Rofisk and Prophylaxia, which have also established OceanDock. The company has purchased the first cage and will lease it to a fish farming operator.

The construction of Varig involved about 200 people from Bauta Group and external suppliers. Bauta Maritime was responsible for steel structure construction and outfitting, Bauta Metal supplied cut-to-length steel, Bauta Electro handled electrical installation and automation systems, and several local suppliers also participated in the project. Bauta Fishfarms has a production capacity of up to 30 such steel cages per year.

After launch, Varig will undergo final outfitting and preparation before being towed to Gjermundnes in Vestnes, Norway, where Prophylaxia will put it into operation. Fish are scheduled to be stocked six to eight weeks after handover. The first production cycle will provide data on how the system performs under real operating conditions.

Bjørn Vegard Løvik, Chairman of Prophylaxia, said: "We plan to stock 200,000 fish in the cage. These fish will stay there for about four months before being transferred to conventional open cages. During this period, we will conduct extensive testing of key factors such as water circulation, oxygen supply and sludge management." The test phase will build operational experience and data to support further development and optimization of the solution.