Canada’s Ocean Supercluster announces $1.7M BlueVita Technology Project
New transport technology will position Atlantic Canada as a leader in mobile storage and multi-modal live haul of aquatic animals
Today, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster announced the $1.7 million BlueVita Technology Project. This New Brunswick-led project will introduce new technologies for mobile storage and transport of aquatic life. BlueVita Technology will be a novel, best-in-class multi-modal system that controls and manages the storage and transport environment, maintains product quality, reduces shrinkage, and provides high animal welfare standards.
The BlueVita Technology Project aims to address significant challenges facing the seafood sector in Canada and worldwide, including undervalued seafood that has been frozen due to seasonal harvests. This project will allow access to high-end markets currently constrained by air transport costs, complicated shipping logistics, and other factors.
The project will also address increasing demand for quality, provenance, and welfare of seafood products and intends to solve challenges related to complex seafood value chains that require collaboration at several levels. The project sponsor, Ship Nature’s Way Inc. of Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, is majority owned by aquatic technology company GIS Gas Infusion Systems Inc of Saint Andrews and the logistics solutions company Ocean Perfect in the Netherlands. Ship Nature’s Way and their partners have a first-hand understanding of the challenges of live storage and transport of aquatic animals and are uniquely placed to develop reliable and cost-effective solutions.
With a total project value of nearly $1.7 million, the Ocean Supercluster will provide close to $830 thousand towards the project, with the balance coming from project partners. The BlueVita Technology project will be undertaken at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick. The trials overseen by Huntsman Marine will provide third-party validation of the results across multi-species, including lobster, crab, shellfish, and fish.
This BlueVita Technology project will benefit Canada’s ocean economy by supporting the seafood sector’s growth, innovation, and sustainability with a product rooted in an understanding of customer needs. The success of this new transport technology will position Atlantic Canada as a leader in mobile storage and multi-modal live haul of aquatic animals, allowing for market expansion within Canada and international markets in Europe and Asia.
About OSC
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is a pan-Canadian, industry-led, transformative cluster focused on tackling some of the biggest challenges across ocean sectors through a collaborative program designed to accelerate the development and commercialization of globally relevant solutions, while also building a highly capable, inclusive workforce. The Ocean Supercluster has approved 71 projects with a total value of more than $360 million which will deliver more than 110 new made-in-Canada ocean products, processes, and services to sell to the world.
Media Contacts:
Nancy Andrews
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
nancy.andrews@oceansupercluster.ca
709.725.7070
Dr Michael Beattie
Executive Scientific Director
Ship Nature’s Way Inc.
mike@gasinfusionsystems.com
506.754.6360
www.bluevitatechnology.com
Jolanda Boerjan
Ocean Perfect
Jolanda@oceanperfect.com
240.549.9617
Quotes:
“As demand for more sustainable foods grows, our government understands the importance of developing technologies that support innovation and sustainability in the seafood sector. Thanks to this new system for storing and shipping seafood, we will see even greater growth in our ocean economy, both domestically and globally. This will not only provide opportunities for higher-paying Canadian jobs in the fishing sector but also support the sustainability of wild fish stocks.” – The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
“The seafood sector is an important part of Canada’s economy with significant export opportunity. We are proud to announce the BlueVita Technology Project that will help drive the next generation of seafood transportation that delivers improved quality, increased economic activity and opportunity in the industry.” – Kendra MacDonald, CEO, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
“BlueVita Technology will fundamentally change the way that live lobster, crab, shellfish, and fish are delivered to global markets. Utilizing Ocean Perfect logistics powered by BlueVita Technology, suppliers will now be able to enjoy the economic benefits of shipping live product for long durations in significant quantities, while maintaining high standards of quality control, environmental responsibility, and animal welfare.” – Dr. Michael Beattie, Executive Scientific Director of Ship Nature’s Way Inc.