Dust explosion damages silo at fish factory in Norway
07 November 2023
A dust explosion at a facility operated by salmon farmer Mowi damaged a silo storing fishmeal at the company’s plant in Bjugn, Norway on 1 November. A fire, which briefly broke out following the explosion, burnt itself out before firefighters arrived at the fish feed factory which is one of the world’s largest.
Image: Mowi
A Mowi representative told Norwegian media that all employees were accounted for and that no on was injured during the incident. The dust explosion caused material damage to a silo at the site and that a full inspection would be carried out in due course, the spokesperson said.
The fish feed factory was opened in 2014 and is one of the largest in the world, producing around 400,000 tonnes of feed a year. The local fire department was called to the scene at around 10:08 local time following report of an explosion. Fire officials later said that a fire briefly erupted but had died out before firefighters reached the scene.
Trøndelag police later confirmed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that a dust explosion had occurred. Initial reports indicate the blast happened after a conveyor belt overheated and ignited fishmeal.