EU Business News- Scandinavian Business Awards 2025 Best Marine Technology Testing Facility 2025 – Hirtshals The fisheries sector is one driven by ongoing innovation, with a particular focus placed upon promoting sustainability and efficiency. The sector relies on the use of flume tanks to test gear and equipment to maintain this demand for continuous evolution, striving to overcome the challenges of unintended environmental damage such as excessive by-catch and seabed damage, in addition to unexpected gear inefficiencies. Leading this field is the Flume Tank operated by the North Sea Science Park in Hirtshals, used to carry out tests and measurements of equipment for fisheries, aquaculture, offshore installations, and subsea technologies. We found out more from Managing Director Mette Roussis, as Flume Tank North Sea is named in the Scandinavian Business Awards 2025. Flume Tank North Sea is owned by and located at the North Sea Science Park in Hirtshals, Denmark. Standing as the largest flume tank in Europe, and second largest in the world, the tank has established itself as the key testing ground for fishing equipment, providing vital insights into gear performance and design. Through this specialised service, Flume Tank North Sea serves as an essential bridge between research, business, and fishery authorities. In 2023, full responsibility for managing the tank was assumed by North Sea Science Park, understanding its importance as a demonstration and research facility for the broader industry. North Sea Science Park runs Flume Tank North Sea with the core values of innovation, precision, and customer-focus, striving to continuously optimise processes, tools, and gear for an array of commercial customers, educators, and research partners. “Our mission is to contribute with high quality data input to support our customers’ development projects and research efforts,” Mette told us. “We offer unique demonstration and learning facilities tailored for fisheries, aquaculture, offshore industries, subsea manufacturers, and education.” Flume Tank North Sea’s competencies lie within the specialised areas of trawl, nets, gillnets, Danish and Scottish seines, hydrodynamics, scale modelling, and calculations. The tank’s ability to simulate real sea conditions – producing currents of up to one metre per second and waves generated up to 25cm – facilitates precision testing, with realtime performance measurements captured by an advanced 3D-video setup. As the second largest flume tank in the world, Flume Tank North Sea contains 1.2 million litres of water, and offers a 120m² clear window with unique visibility of what actually occurs subsea. Running along the flume tank is an auditorium seating 60 guests, perfect for the groups of observers who regularly attend its testing. Many of Flume Tank North Sea’s clients are big equipment suppliers from around the North Atlantic, who often bring their own customers to the facility for a demonstration prior to finalising a sale. This makes the flume tanks offerings all the more advantageous, allowing its clients and their own customers to assess performance in a controlled environment, refine designs, and gain confidence in their investment before its finalisation. The flume tank is operated by a team of expert technicians, all selected for their unrivalled efficiency and flexibility. The team’s capabilities mean that Flume Tank North Sea possesses the ability to modify development projects instantly, as well as demonstrate several gear items during the same day. Alongside this, the company’s specialist netmakers are among the few worldwide who can scale down nets, trawls, cages, and more – handcrafting precise models for testing in the flume tank. This team is vital for progression, which is something that Flume Tank North Sea remains wholly dedicated to. Most recently, the company has introduced the offering of online testing and transmissions for gear within the flume tank. By using advanced, high resolution cameras and software control, Flume Tank North Sea has made it possible for its clients to demonstrate and test their gear from home. In the spirit of ongoing research and development, the digitisation of tools and processes has been an ongoing effort at Flume Tank North Sea, and one that the company aims to leverage to engage in closer dialogues with customers and researchers across its projects. In today’s rapidly changing world, where ocean conservation is more crucial than ever, Flume Tank North Sea stands at the very forefront of the innovation and education of the fisheries sector. “In a world of transition and a common need to take greater care of the ocean and its wildlife, innovation and lifelong learning is key,” Mette informed us. “The ocean is our entire reason for being, and we understand the importance of an innovative fisheries sector, alongside the sustainable use of the ocean. The flume tank offers a unique facility for developing and learning.” Contact: Flume Tank North Sea Company: Mette Hyldgaard Roussis Web Address: https://flumetanknorthsea.com Apr25238
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