With the installation of two eco-anchors off the coast of Scheveningen, initiator North Sea Farmers today took a new step in the construction of the very first offshore seaweed farm in the Netherlands. The prototype anchors are the precursors of the total of 80 anchors and 40 seaweed cultivation systems that will be placed within a wind farm at a later date.
After 3 years of work and following a week full of heavy winds and storms, the prototype eco-anchors have been installed at the Offshore Test Site. The installation was carried out aboard the Zwerver III of Van Stee Offshore. It took nearly a full day where both anchors were positioned carefully into the right orientation, vibrated into the ocean floor. A 50-metre-long seaweed cultivation system, consisting of a cultivation module, developed by the Wier & Wind project, and a seeding and harvesting machine, has been placed between the eco-anchors.
This year, the first 40 hectares of the total 1.6 km² seaweed farm will be constructed. The first seaweed cultivation systems have been in place for some time at the offshore test site off the coast of Scheveningen, but with the addition of the first two eco-anchors, the first steps are now being taken to make the seabed more nature-friendly.
Nature enhancement
The eco-anchor is unique in the world because it not only has an anchor function, but also enhances nature. So-called ‘substrate’ such as oyster shells, wood or cork are attached to the anchor just above the level of the seabed and serve as housing, shelter or breeding ground for, among others, the North Sea crab, the mud bean, starfish and stone pout, said Zinzi Reimert, project manager of the Offshore Test Site.
Green oasis full of marine life in offshore wind farms
In total, 40 seaweed cultivation systems with some 80 eco-anchors will be installed in the coming years. These will be placed within a wind farm at a later date. The eco-anchor forms a crucial part of sustainable, offshore seaweed cultivation within wind farms. Which in turn is an important step in the food, protein and circular transition. If it is up to North Sea Farmers, the space within the wind farms will become a green oasis full of marine life, where hundreds of square kilometres of seaweed will be cultivated for various industrial applications.
An answer to climate and food issues
The realisation of the seaweed farm is financially supported by AFAS Foundation and others. The foundation has been closely involved in the plans surrounding large-scale seaweed cultivation since 2019.
“Nature-inclusive seaweed farming is one of the answers to the climate and food issues we face today. It is a completely new industry, in which we see a lot of potential. As a sector organisation in Europe, North Sea Farmers, with over 100 members, is a serious discussion partner for the UN, the EU, the national government and the business community. We are proud to support this progressive project. – Director Gerben Eversdijk
Seaweed is a promising and increasingly popular food source for people, animals and plants and does not require scarce fresh water to grow. Seaweed farms can therefore be a powerful weapon in the fight against hunger, poverty and disease. The seaweed that will be cultivated in the North Sea is primarily intended as food for people, but it will also be used in the pharmaceutical industry. For example, in research into diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease or in pill form as an addition to a diet. It is also suitable as a ‘biostimulant’, a kind of supplementary feed for plants, making them more climate-resistant, and seaweed in animal feed improves the animal’s immune system. In this way, the seaweed is used in the most circular way possible. Source: AFAS Foundation & North Sea Farmers
