IEO accept bids for maintenance and technical support of algae plant

FIS: IEO accept bids for maintenance and technical support of algae plant

The Directorate of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) has begun accepting bids for the ongoing maintenance and operational technical support in algae and fish cultivation plants of El Bocal during the first half of 2011.

The bids are for a total of EUR 270,000, reports the Europa Press.

The assistance involves operational technical support for marine crop plants, such as cleaning tanks, sumps and floor installations, and removal of fish in tanks as often as necessary.

The successful bidder will also have to monitor aquaculture tank levels as well as emptying them, monitor and check water renewals. Also, they will need to collect data from physical-chemical parameters (temperature, salinity, etc), preparing the tanks for the various crops and take over the food supply or other treatments.

They must also deal with live or inert preparation of food for the larvae, help counts and biological sampling, and control egg collectors in breeding season, among other activities.

With respect to the maintenance of facilities, daily tasks will include:

Maintenance and control of machinery and equipment of facilities for a continuous supply of sea water.
Heating and air conditioning.
Cold and isothermal storage.
El Bocal belongs to the Oceanographic Centre of Santander. It is the largest seaweed farming plant in the country and was designed for semi-industrial scale to meet the demand of seaweed for human consumption.

This research facility has a 3,800 sq m greenhouse, laboratories and culture units from 1,000 to 50,000 liters in size. It also has a gene bank with 75 strains, the only one in Spain.