Intelligent ocean farming equipment designed to withstand powerful storms, work for 25 years

China is delivering the world's first group of intelligent off-shore ocean farming facilities to Norway, designed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the country's aquaculture industry, the equipment's manufacturer and analysts said on June 4.

China Shipbuilding Industry Corp, one of the country's major State-owned shipbuilders by revenue, will create and export six offshore fish farms to its Norwegian client to help upgrade salmon farming there.

CSIC delivered the first such facility, Ocean Farm 1, to its Norwegian client, Kverva-based SalMar ASA, in Qingdao on June 3. The second group of orders for another five units was sealed in April, with a combined value of more than $300 million (266 million euros; ￡232 million).

It is the world's first offshore salmon farming equipment built using the same principle as semisubmersible installations in the offshore oil and gas drilling sector, according to Hu Wenming, chairman of CSIC.

Unlike traditional fish farming facilities, the ocean farm embodies advanced technologies including automatic fishing, hydrological monitoring, deep-sea positioning and biological light adjustment systems.

Ocean Farm 1 comprises a slack-anchored, semisubmersible and rigid structure with a high degree of stability. It is intended for offshore use in waters at depths of 100to 300 meters. All fish-handling operations can be performed on board, without recourse to external service vessels or equipment.

With a 25-year life span, the facility can resist powerful storms and is able to cultivate 1.5 million fish a year. It requires only three to seven employees to operate and ensures a fish death rate of less than 2 percent. It has more than 20,000 sensors and over 100 monitors and control units.

"It is highly possible for more marine production companies from countries such as the United States, Canada, Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom to purchase such facilities if they can prove themselves reliable and advanced," says Dong Liwan, a professor at Shanghai Maritime University.

In the eyes of Yang Zhigang, chairman of CSIC's Wuchang group, the project is a perfect combination of the Norwegian aquaculture industry and Chinese offshore engineering technologies. The facility could be another trailblazer for Chinese manufacturers to further tap the European market against the backdrop of the Belt and Road Initiative.

As the Norwegian government and companies are keen to drive deep-sea aquaculture to further prevent fish diseases and pursue sustainable growth, the market for intelligent aquaculture equipment is getting a big shot in the arm, says Wang Yu, president of the research institute for offshore engineering products at CSIC Wuchang.

Ocean Farm 1 will be positioned in Frohavet, off the coast of central Norway, in the second half of this year. It will also be used for research purposes, with a particular focus on biological conditions and fish welfare, says Trond Williksen, chief executive at SalMar ASA.

"Leading Chinese shipyards are in a better position to compete with rivals in South Korea or Singapore, especially in the fields of ultradeep-water semisubmersible drilling rigs, manned submersibles and other civilian and military-oriented businesses," says Dong, the Shanghai Maritime University professor.

He says there is less competition in these areas, since only a few shipyards are capable of manufacturing complex offshore products. Big data and internet-based information technologies will help upgrade their capabilities to innovate and make their products more intelligent, he says.

"China and Norway are highly complementary in their economic developments, with great potential in fisheries, shipbuilding, environmental protection and oil and gas exploitation," says Xing Houyuan, a member of the expert committee of the Beijing-based China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

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(China Daily European Weekly 06/09/2017 page15)