Development of a lift-boat suitable for offshore aquaculture logistics

Aquaculture ventures operating in the open ocean environment will require enormous logistic planning and support to ensure success. These operations will have the logistic requirements associated with near-shore operations, plus a new set of issues associated with the higher energy of the site and distance from shore. In the Gulf of Mexico, previous visions have married open-ocean aquaculture with the existing oil/gas industry. However, liabilities either to the platform owner/operator or against platform abandonment upon completion of the aquaculture venture, and safety and appropriateness of oil/gas platforms not specifically designed for offshore aquaculture limit this relationship. As an alternative, commercialization of aquaculture in the open ocean will benefit from the development of specialized aquaculture support vessels (ASVs). These innovative craft or barges will be designed for efficient cage servicing, harvesting and hauling of fish, and optimizing routine tasks associated with open-ocean fish farms. We will present the development of a lift-boat (or "jack-up" barge) designed specifically for the needs of an open-ocean aquaculture industry as one ASV solution. Design requirements include a safe working environment, a helicopter-pad, sufficient living space for workers, adequate feed storage, maintenance and office space, fish health and environmental monitoring laboratory, and a crane capable of lowering and raising a farm work boat and feed.