December 23, 2020

China begins construction of world's first large scale fish farming ship

The construction of the world's first 100,000-tonne large scale fish farming ship has started in Qingdao of East China's Shandong province on December 19.

The vessel, named Guoxin No.1 and funded by the state-owned Qingdao Conson Development Group Co, will be delivered on March 2022, and is expected to conduct fish farming far from China's shore without polluting the environment.

Zhang Xianliang, director of the Bureau of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said: "The world's first 100,000-tonne intelligent, large-scale fish farming vessel is of great practical significance to China in carrying out intelligent aquaculture and expanding its distant-water, deep-sea mariculture space."

The Conson Group planned to invest in the construction of an aquaculture armada consisting of 50 such ships with a gross tonnage of 100,000 tonnes each, which are expected to annually produce about 200,000 tonnes of seawater fish with an annual output value exceeding ¥11billion (US$1.68 billion).

"The ship's 15 tanks can provide 80,000 cubic metres of aquaculture water. Through the aquaculture water exchange system, the water in the fishing cabin and the outside natural sea water are exchanged without interruption," said Dong Shaoguang, deputy general manager of Qingdao Conson Development Group Co.

With a length of 249.9 metres, a width of 45 metres and a designed speed of 10 knots, the Guoxin No.1 will be able to withstand typhoons, red tides and other types of severe weather while conducting aquaculture operations in seas around the world.

Depending on the seasons and water temperatures, the Guoxin No.1 will cruise in the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea all year round, cultivating high-quality fish such as giant yellow fish.

Qingdao Conson Development Group Co has been collaborating with China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the Pilot National Laboratory of Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao) and the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences to design the ship since 2019.

 - Global Times