VESSEL REVIEW | Suhai No 1 – Chinese self-propelled harvesting ship to support salmon farming in Yellow Sea

China's Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding has delivered a new salmon harvesting vessel capable of navigating under its own power.

Suhai No 1 (苏海1号) was designed by the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences and is owned and operated by joint venture company Jiangsu Lianshen Marine Technology. Construction of the vessel began in early 2023 and its sea trials were completed in April 2025.

Significant breeding and transport capacities

The vessel has an LOA of 249.8 metres (819.6 feet), a beam of 45 metres (150 feet), a depth of 21.6 metres (70.9 feet), a displacement of 132,000 tons, space for 50 crewmembers and harvesting personnel, and 15 pens with a total capacity of 83,000 cubic metres (2.9 million cubic feet) of water.

Four 2,800ekW generators will supply the electrical power requirements of the breeding and anchoring systems. These can also propel the vessel to a speed of 10.3 knots and enable it to sail up to 20,000 nautical miles or stay out at sea for 90 days.

Each of the 15 pens is fitted with a 160kW seawater pump and four water injection tanks. Water can be injected into each pen at a set pressure to form a circular dynamic flow, resulting in water that is constantly moving for the salmon to chase, as is their nature.

The ship is also equipped with a series of advanced breeding operation equipment such as those for breeding environment monitoring, centralised automatic feeding, and ship-shore integrated control.

The breeding environment monitoring system can accurately monitor key environmental parameters such as water temperature, water quality, and oxygen content in the breeding area in real time to provide the most suitable growth environment. The centralised automatic feeding system distributes high-quality feed regularly and in suitable numbers according to the growth stage and actual feeding situation of the fish.

The ship-shore integrated management and control technology meanwhile allows shore-based personnel to conduct real-time monitoring and adjustment of various aquaculture operations on board through remote monitoring.

Configured for onboard fish processing to reduce logistical requirements

The vessel will be fitted with automated fish processing facilities in the future, thus allowing the salmon to be harvested, processed and then distributed to the Chinese consumer market all within 24 hours. Huangpu Wenchong expects that with continuous operation, it will achieve an annual salmon production output totalling 8,000 tons for an estimated value of CNY500 million (US$70 million).

Because it is self-propelled, Suhao No 1 will be able to relocate as needed to maximise its salmon farming activities within China's offshore waters as well as to avoid areas with adverse weather or harmful algal blooms.

Suhai No 1 will initially be operated in the Yellow Sea. To ensure that salmon are harvested within the ideal temperature range of 10 to 18 degrees Celsius, the vessel will be deployed in the northern portion of the Yellow Sea during the summer and head to warmer waters south during the winter.

According to Song Fangmin, Project Manager at Jiangsu Lianshen Marine Technology, this will ensure that the living conditions of the fish are better and the growth rate will be faster.

Huangpu Wenchong has also been contracted to build three other harvesting vessels from the same series as Suhai No 1.