VESSEL REVIEW | Qiandong 2 – Offshore fish farm to be deployed off southeastern China

China’s Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding has completed the second unit in a series of offshore aquaculture platforms ordered by Fujian Qiandong Offshore Granary Technology.

Qiandong 2 has an LOA of 67.6 metres, a beam of 31.5 metres, a design draught of 17.2 metres, and a total tank capacity of 2,200 cubic metres. Key features include self-cleaning capability and a monitoring system.

In addition to providing human operators with real-time updates on the condition of the platform via mobile device, the monitoring system also allows operators to use their mobile devices to remotely control some of the platform’s features for activities such as feeding, fish health monitoring, and cage cleaning. This allows the platform to be deployed in its area of operations even without embarked human crews.

The facility consists of two main structures: a floating foundation and a cylindrical breeding cage assembly. The foundation can deploy harvesting nets to depths of up to 2,300 metres and can even withstand severe typhoon conditions. The cage can meanwhile be rotated 17 degrees along its longitudinal axis as a means of cleaning the interior when needed.

Qiandong 2 will be used primarily for harvesting large yellow croaker in the waters off the city of Fuzhou in Fujian province, where it will operate alongside ten other similar offshore structures. Construction of the platform was done in compliance to China Classification Society rules.

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