(Yicai Global) June 4 -- China is to construct the world’s first deep-sea fish farm ship to breed commercially valuable saltwater fish including yellow croakers, groupers and salmon, the Qingdao Daily reported.

The vessel is expected to have a haul of 4,000 tons of marine products each year worth around CNY220 million (USD31 million), the report said today. At 249 meters long, it will come equipped with Internet of Things and other smart technologies to improve efficiency.

Commissioned by investment firm Qingdao Guoxin Development Group at a cost of CNY400 million (USD56 million), the ship will be built at the port of Qingdao in northeastern Shandong province by state-owned Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry and is expected to be delivered in March 2022, according to the contract inked between the two parties yesterday.

The aquaculture ship, which has a carrying capacity of 100,000 tons, acts as a super-large mobile fishing net. It will traverse the coastal waters between Shandong and southern Guangdong province looking for the best environment to cultivate fish. With an aquaculture capacity of 80,000 cubic meters, the fish farm is able to reach depths that ordinary boats cannot.

Qingdao Guoxin plans to commission a further 50 such vessels upon the successful completion of the first one, to boost annual capacity to over 20 tons of marine products, an executive said. This will help spur growth in ship design, ship building, smart fishing, IoT, the intensive processing of aquatic products and many other relevant sectors, he added.

Editor: Kim Taylor