Innovative fish farming vessel project launched

China is building a 100,000-metric-ton offshore fish farm vessel featuring state-of-the-art facilities. Experts said the vessel will help modernize the country's aquaculture sector and promote environmentally friendly production.

Shipbuilders said the aquaculture vessel — the Conson No 1 — is the first of its kind in the world and is expected to be delivered in March 2022.

The vessel is 249.9 meters long and 45 meters wide and designed to be fitted with 15 aquaculture tanks of 80,000 cubic meters each and a smart system that can control temperature and salinity. It will provide an appropriate environment for cultured fish, said Dong Shaoguang, deputy general manager of Qingdao Conson Development (Group) Co, the main investor of the vessel.

"The new vessel will be self-propelled, which means it will be able to cruise between different sea areas as seasons and temperature change. And it will be able to avoid harsh weather such as typhoons and red tides," Dong said, adding that the vessel will farm mostly high-value species, such as large yellow croaker, to meet massive market demand for high-protein foods in China.