China’s salmon farm ship starts sea trials
The world’s first smart fish farm ship, Guoxin 1, has begun sea trials from the port in Qingdao city of Shandong province, China.
The vessel, which is 249.9 metres long and 45 metres wide, has 15 aquaculture tanks with a total volume of 80,000 cubic metres and has the capacity to produce 4,000 tonnes of fish.
The ship, which is expected to enter service in April, is equipped with underwater cameras, sensors and automatic feeding facilities, along with a water exchange system and a deep-water intake device. The vessel is designed to travel at a speed of up to 10 knots, giving it the ability to avoid hazards such as typhoons and red tides.
Joint project
Construction of the farm ship was a joint project between the state-owned Qingdao Conson Group, the China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC), the Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), and the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences.
Qingdao Conson plans to test the cultivation of local fish species yellow croaker, as well as Atlantic salmon, in the vessel.
The company’s long-term aim is to build an open sea aquaculture fleet of 50 ships with an annual output of more than 200,000 tonnes of fish by 2035.
