We recently welcomed a returning customer who has been using the flume tank for several years to develop new, innovative trawl doors.

Danish company MLD spent a day in the flume tank, where they were to demonstrate an innovative trawl door to a potential customer.

The trawl door is called the MLD SpreadAdjuster and is a patented solution which, according to CEO Gregers Baungaard, is “the world’s most controllable trawl door”.

The solution is automated and features flaps and openings that can be adjusted whilst the trawl is in the water.

This allows the distance between the trawl doors and the distance to the seabed to be adjusted as required. It also means that the trawl doors are suitable for many different types of fishing.

The flaps can adjust the distance to the seabed, whilst the openings in the trawl doors help to adjust the distance between the trawl doors, thereby ensuring the optimal trawl opening. This helps to ensure more efficient fishing and lower fuel consumption.

The SpreadAdjuster was unveiled for the first time in the autumn of 2025 following a development phase during which the Flume Tank North Sea was used on several occasions for testing and documentation.

During the development phase, MLD also collaborated with researchers from DTU Aqua.