Equipment supplier AKVA Group Chile has entered into a sale and purchase contract for four feed barges with Australis Mar, the grow-out, processing and sales arm of Chile's Australis Seafoods.

The barges, valued at $12.6 million (€11.45 million) are expected to be delivered to Chile by August of next year.

In July, Australis Seafoods also acquired Chilean salmon processor Pesquera Torres del Paine for $26.5 million (€23.5 million). The deal was completed through subsidiaries Australis Mar and Pisciculturas Rios Mallin.

Norwegian equipment supplier Akva group's earnings soared in the second quarter largely because of better cage-based technology sales and doubling sales in the Nordic region.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) doubled to NOK 101 million (€10.1 million/$11.3 million) compared with the same period last year.

The group's overall revenues also grew 27 percent to NOK 798 million (€80.1 million/$89.6 million), according to the latest second quarter results.