US private equity fund Amerra Capital Management has secured 51 percent of the shares in Aquaship following an agreement that pumps new capital into the company.
Other shareholders and management will still own 49 percent of the company, according to details of the deal.
Aquaship operates a global fleet of 28 vessels, all of which are on long-term contracts.
The fleet consists of wellboats, tow vessels, fish feed and service boats in Norway, Scotland, Iceland, Ireland, Chile, Spain, Croatia, Canada and Shetland.
The company said in a press release it sees strong growth opportunities in all vessel segments and geographical areas, where rapid access to growth capital and expertise in project management will be critical to seizing the opportunities.
"We believe we have a unique platform for growth, which combines Aquaship's proven expertise across service vessels, wellboats, tugboats and feed carriers, with our local practical experience in several countries," the company said.
"Aquaship has experience in operating, designing and building boats for the aquaculture industry, but did not have the necessary capital to scale up the activity," said CEO Sverre Taknes of Aquaship.
"We are very excited to partner with Amerra, a sector specialist with a track record of supporting growth companies, a team that possesses sector expertise and the ability to quickly seize opportunities as they come."
Under the agreement Thor Talseth will become the new chairman of Aquaship.
DNB Markets acted as financial advisor in connection with the transaction.
