Recently, the “Su Hai 1 Hao”, the world’s first salmon aquaculture vessel constructed by Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding under CSSC (China State Shipbuilding Corporation), set sail for sea trial voyage. It will officially start production operations in the cold water mass area of the Yellow Sea this autumn and winter, which marks China’s formal step towards a new era of salmon deep-sea aquaculture.
The “Su Hai 1 Hao” aquaculture vessel was designed by the Fishery Machinery and Instruments Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences and construction by Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding in early 2023 with a total construction cost of nearly RMB 600 million (approximately US$83 million).
The vessel measures 249.8 meters in length, 45 meters in width and 21.6 meters in depth, with 83,000 cubic meters of aquaculture water and 130,000 tons of displacement. It mainly relies on the cold water mass in the Yellow Sea for salmon farming. After stable operation, the annual salmon farming output can reach more than 8,000 tons.
According to reports, this aquaculture vessel can operate in the core area of the Yellow Sea cold water mass, marking China’s entry into a new era of deep-sea salmon aquaculture. This represents a significant milestone in the high-quality development of China’s modern marine fisheries, signaling a future where the domestic seafood consumption market will greatly reduce its reliance on imported chilled salmon.