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Ocean Ark offers a new concept in fish farming
Oceanic ambition
A new concept in fish farming has cleared an important regulatory hurdle
BY VINCE MCDONAGH AND ROBERT OUTRAM
Plans for a massive fish farming vessel – the Ocean Ark – have received approval in principle from RINA, the marine classification society.
The go-head means the order to build this impressive-looking concept in offshore salmon farming has moved up several gears.
Looking like an aircraft carrier without the flight deck, it has been developed by Ocean Ark Tech of Chile (also known as OATECH) and is likely to be positioned off that country. OATECH also has a UK-based strategic ally called Ocean Sovereign.
The developers, who have won national awards for their project, say Ocean Ark is set to revolutionise the industry by dramatically improving fish health, crew comfort and the industry’s image.
By deploying Ocean Ark far from costly and often devastating events such as heatwaves, storms and algae blooms, the developers hope it will be able to produce higher-quality fish.
OATECH founder Rodrigo Sanchez Raccaro, who has considerable experience in salmon farming, says: “We have applied all our knowledge and experience in the design, engineering and development of this farming
Above: The Ocean Ark Opposite from top: The Ocean Ark; The Havfarm1; Guoxin 101 ark superyacht, including the dynamic and static modelling that test wave resistance.
“The ships offer a solid business plan for fish production. This superyacht fish farm was designed to operate offshore, where the best conditions are met for the fish. This technology allows low-density production of healthier, higher-quality fish at lower costs than the offshore, land-based and coastal aquaculture systems now available.”
The vessel is a self-propelled, low-emission trimaran 170 metres long and 64 metres wide. Artificial intelligence and self-cleaning fish cages of copper help secure fish health and welfare.
It will have a biomass capacity of up to 3,900 tonnes. The developers say it can produce higher-quality fish at lower costs than current offshore or land and open-net fish farms.
A memorandum of understanding to build the vessel has been signed with shipyards in Turkey and China, but so far there is no indication as to when the order will be given.
“This is an unusual vessel,” says Patrizio Di Francesco, RINA Marine Principal Engineer for Northwest Europe.
“It presents a milestone for both the fish farming industry and for the classification of unconventional ships. It is an innovative approach to the sustainable harvesting of fish to help secure food security and sovereignty, and one that may revolutionise fish farming for the future.”
Alternative visions
Ocean Ark is not the only project to envisage a massive vessel as a fish farm site.
In Norway back in 2020, salmon farmer Nordlaks sailed its massive offshore platform, Havfarm 1, 15,000 miles from China, where it had been built.
Nordlaks hopes that the floating platform, which is designed to be robust enough to survive high-energy environments, will overcome some of the problems associated with inshore fish farming.
The company was dealt a blow last year, however, when the Norwegian authorities determined that welfare issues meant it could not be granted a permanent licence.
Officially named Jostein Albert after the company’s former chairman Jostein Albert Refnes, the platform is one of two such 385-metre-long vessels planned by Nordlaks. Each is capable of holding up to 10,000 tonnes of salmon.
Meanwhile in China itself, last November saw the launch of the Guoxin 101, now undergoing testing in the South China Sea. This vessel is intended as the platform for an “intelligent” fish farm operating far offshore where ocean currents will be able to wash away its waste and the impact on the environment will be minimised.
The developer, state-owned company Qingdao Conson Group, hopes to trial salmon farming and possibly also yellow croaker, a local species. FF
IN NUMBERS: THE OCEAN ARK
The vessel will be 550ft long and 197ft wide.It will be able to withstand waves of up to seven metres high. Diesel/electric motors will operate at 4,000kw and the vessel will be able to travel at up to four knots under its own power. It can also be towed into position. The cages will have 4mm diameter copper -zinc alloy meshes, with 4x4cm mesh holes. The vessel can support either eight cages 115ft long x 104ft wide x 66ft deep, or four cages 115ft long x 210ft wide x 66ft deep. Estimated production capacity is up to 3,900 tonnes in one cycle of salmon. The Ocean Ark will have a crew of 20.
