The Guoxin No.1 is reported to be set for an upgrade.

Upgrade on the cards for China's pioneering fish farm ship Guoxin No.1

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China’s Guoxin No. 1 fish farm ship is set for a £1.9 million upgrade to bring it on a level with its sister ships, reports blogger Daniel Huang on LinkedIn.

Delivered in May 2022, the Guoxin No.1 is the earliest of three Chinese vessels that contain fish tanks and can move along the coast to find the best water and weather conditions.

Measuring 249.9 metres in length with a beam of 45 metres and a displacement of about 130,000 tonnes, the Guoxin No.1 features 15 aquaculture tanks providing nearly 90,000 cubic metres of rearing volume.

Ocean ranch

“Operating in a ‘tank-based farming + nomadic voyaging’ mode, it enables year-round optimal conditions by migrating along China’s coast - wintering in warmer southern waters and summering in northern seas,” writes Huang.

“This mobile ‘ocean ranch’ effectively avoids typhoons, red tides, and other disasters while supporting high-value species such as large yellow croaker, grouper, Atlantic salmon, and yellowtail amberjack. Designed for an annual output of around 3,700 tonnes of premium fish, it has already accumulated over 1,200 days of operation and nearly 20,000 nautical miles sailed.”

Huang said details of the modifications planned for the vessel have not been revealed, but based on the features included in the “version 2.0” 150,000-tonne Guoxin No. 1 2-1 and 2-2 vessels, he expects:

  • Improved water exchange, (deeper intake and higher turnover rates), oxygenation, flow field control, and tank cleaning.

  • Expanded sensor networks, cameras, and AI monitoring for full-process automation in fry stocking, feeding, harvesting, and processing.

  • Integration of photovoltaic or other renewable systems and power optimisation to reduce energy consumption.

  • Layout adjustments for better “fish adaptability”, safety, vibration/noise reduction, and processing/transfer facilities, potentially including localised hull modifications.

  • Upgrades to processing, refrigeration, laboratories, and control rooms to enable multi-species trials.

“These changes aim to align the original vessel more closely with the 2.0 series, enhancing efficiency, economic performance, and competitiveness within Guoxin Group’s ‘three-vessel linkage’ fleet strategy,” writes Huang.

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