The Conson No 1, said to be the world's first 100,000-metric-ton smart fish farming ship, enters service on May 20, 2022 in Qingdao, Shandong province. CHINA DAILY

The Conson No 1, which is claimed to be the world's first intelligent ship for fish farming with a capacity of 100,000 metric tons, was delivered in Qingdao, Shandong province in May of last year.

Measuring 249.9 meters in length and with a displacement of 130,000 metric tons, the boat has been utilized as a mobile fish farm in the ocean for breeding high-end commercial fish, including large yellow croaker, as stated by Qingdao Conson Development, the primary investor.

The company said it expects to produce 3,700 tons of high-quality fish annually.

Industry experts and business leaders have hailed the ship as a significant advance in China's development of industrial equipment and a key support for the nation's efforts to promote high-quality aquaculture.

Costing 450 million yuan ($67.3 million), it is equipped with 15 aquaculture tanks of around 90,000 cubic meters, along with a smart system that can regulate the temperature and water salinity, according to the company.

Mai Kangsen, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a professor at Ocean University of China, said China's marine researchers have been envisioning future marine ranching since the 1970s, and the Conson No 1 has transformed deep-sea aquaculture from a mere plan to reality.