China plans giant fish-farming ship at Nansha
 

CHINA

Plans for the construction of China's first factory fish-
farming ship at the Nansha islands are underway, the China 
Science Daily has reported.

 

The converted oil tanker could weigh as much as 200,000 
tons, and will function as a multi-purpose mobile offshore 
production base, according to Lei Jilin, a researcher at 
the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute.

Lei said the initial plan is to deploy the factory ship at 
Mischief Reef, one of China's major fishing bases in the 
southernmost area.

"In addition to defending the reef, it will contribute to 
fish processing and storage, and function as an anchorage 
to provide supplies and services to deep sea fishing 
vessels," Lei added.