A 50-foot-long, 17-ton, moisture-sucking machine from South Africa that will help seaweed farmers preserving their harvest and triple productions is en route to Brunswick

According to the Portland Press Hearld, a Biddeford seaweed farm, Ocean’s Balance is spending around $650,000 on the custom-designed dryer, with funding help from Coastal Enterprises Inc.

Mitchell Lench, CEO of Ocean’s Balance, feels the investment is necessary. Lench believes the machine will allow his business to compete in the global market for seaweed and reach $30.2 billion In less than five years.

“This should have a knock-on effect to create more farms or bigger farms and to allow us to scale up (the seaweed industry) in a way that we have been unable to do previously,” Lench said.

The machine will operate in leased space at the Brunswick facility of Source Inc., a producer of seaweed-derived nutritional supplements.

Hugh Cowperthwaite, the senior program director of fisheries and aquaculture for Coastal Enterprises, said the dehydrator could create a swath of opportunities for harvesters to expand their businesses.

If all pans out for Ocean’s Balance, Maine’s seaweed industry would grow exponentially and, in turn, help the state’s ocean-based economy grow.