Authorities of Chile, Italy, and Finland announced that they have approved a range of Steen-Hansen products for use in aquaculture.
Earlier this week, the respective authorities of Chile, Italy, and Finland announced that they have approved a range of Steen-Hansen products for use in aquaculture. The antifouling used on nets and other aquaculture equipment requires approval before it can be used in the aquaculture industry. Such approvals are necessary to ensure that the products are safe for the environment and for workers handling them.
Directemar, the Directorate for the Navy and Maritime Activity in Chile, among other products issued approval for copper-free solutions based on Econea®. This makes Steen-Hansen the first and, for now, the only supplier with approved products without copper, thereby providing the Chilean aquaculture industry with a more environmentally friendly alternative.
Italy and Finland are subject to the EU's regulation of approvals, "BPR", considered to be the strictest regime for safe use and documentation requirements. Nevertheless, national assessments by the countries' environmental authorities have been necessary since the products are used under different environmental conditions in different parts of the world.
"Getting these approvals in place has been very important for us. Customers expect that antifouling is safe to use, both for fish and humans. Such external assessments by competent authorities are highly valued, costing us a lot of time and effort, but give Steen-Hansen the credibility we need in the market. We started using Econea®-based products already in 2017. Since then, documentation requirements have increased in line with popularity, and we can finally extend the use of these to Chile as well, which is one of the world's largest markets for antifouling for aquaculture." – says Ulrik Ulriksen, CEO of Steen-Hansen.