China launches world’s first salmon farming vessel. Its mission? to boldly farm where no salmon has been farmed before.
The world’s first industrial salmon farming vessel, Su Hai No. 1, departed from the Huangpu Wenchong Shipyard in Guangzhou on Tuesday for its maiden sea trial, heading 60 nautical miles into the South China Sea.
The 249.8-metre vessel—designed by the Fisheries Machinery and Instrument Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences—was built at a cost of nearly RMB 600 million ($82.4 million). It has a displacement of 130,000 tonnes and a farming capacity of 8.3 million cubic metres of seawater. Once operational, it is expected to produce over 8,000 tonnes of salmon annually, primarily by leveraging the cold-water eddies in the Yellow Sea.
The project is jointly backed by Lianyungang Ocean Development Co., Shenzhen Dabaihui Group, and others under a cross-provincial partnership between Jiangsu and Guangdong, operating through a new joint venture: Jiangsu Lianshen Marine Technology Co. The vessel forms the core of a vertically integrated supply chain including land-based hatcheries, logistics, and processing.
Unlike traditional offshore net-pen systems, Su Hai No. 1 can navigate to avoid typhoons and harmful algal blooms, offering improved biosecurity and year-round production. Onboard systems include real-time environmental monitoring, automated feeding, and integrated remote management. It also features an onboard processing plant capable of delivering fresh, processed salmon to domestic markets within 24 hours.
According to the 2024 China Salmon Industry Report, domestic demand is forecast to reach 210,000 tonnes by 2030. Currently, more than 80% of China’s salmon consumption relies on imports. The new vessel is seen as a strategic step in reducing that dependence.
Su Hai No. 1 is expected to begin commercial production in the Yellow Sea off Lianyungang later this year.