FU XING HAI (IMO 9959620) Table Bay, Cape Town
FU XING HAI (IMO 9959620): Antarctic Krill Trawler
Explore FU XING HAI (IMO 9959620), a 136.6 m Chinese pelagic trawler built for Antarctic krill fishing and distant-water operations.
Photographer's Note: FU XING HAI (IMO 9959620)was photographed by Vernon Chalmers in Table Bay, Cape Town. The image forms part of the Vernon Chalmers Photography Maritime Studies Project and is also published in the Shipspotting.com database.
FU XING HAI (IMO 9959620) is a modern 136.6-metre Chinese pelagic trawler specialising in Antarctic krill fishing. Her size, specialised midwater trawling equipment and distant-water operating capability make her a notable example of contemporary industrial fishing-vessel design.
A Modern Chinese Antarctic Krill Trawler
Vernon Chalmers Maritime Studies
Vessel Specifications
- IMO Number: 9959620
- MMSI: 412217999
- Flag: China (CHN)
- Built: 2023 by Huanghai Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in Rongcheng, China
- Length Overall (LOA): 137 meters (449 feet)
- Beam (Width): 24 meters (79 feet)
- Gross Tonnage: 15,071 gt
- Deadweight (DWT): 8,813 tonnes
FU XING HAI (IMO 9959620)
Built by Huanghai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. at Rongcheng, China, FU XING HAI entered service in 2023 according to current vessel and ship-photography records. She measures 136.6 metres in length overall, with a 24-metre beam, a gross tonnage of approximately 15,071 GT, and a summer deadweight of 8,813 tonnes. Her call sign is BAOC, she is Chinese-flagged, and her registered owner and operator is Liaoning Pelagic Fisheries Co., Ltd. (ShipSpotting, 2025; VesselFinder, 2026).
Vernon Chalmers Ship Spotting Photography Portfolio
At this scale, the distinction between a fishing vessel and a small commercial ship becomes visually significant. FU XING HAI is almost 137 metres long, making her substantially larger than the fishing vessels traditionally associated with coastal or nearshore operations. The dimensions are a reflection of the economics and logistics of modern distant-water fishing: substantial machinery, crew accommodation, processing capability, storage capacity and endurance are required when the fishing grounds may be thousands of kilometres from the vessel's home port.
The vessel is particularly significant in the context of Antarctic krill fishing. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) records FU XING HAI as licensed for fishing in Subareas 48.1, 48.2, 48.3 and 48.4, with Euphausia superba—Antarctic krill—as the target species. The current licence period runs from December 2025 to November 2026. CCAMLR also records a crew complement of 129 and three fish holds with a combined capacity of approximately 8,465 m³.
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Her fishing equipment provides an even clearer indication of the vessel's specialisation. CCAMLR records a midwater beam trawl arrangement, with a net mouth approximately 20.5 metres high and 18.5 metres wide. The net itself is more than 120 metres long in one configuration, while a later configuration is recorded at 167 metres. A large-mesh marine-mammal exclusion panel is incorporated into the gear. This is not bottom trawling: the operation is conducted within the water column, targeting pelagic organisms rather than scraping the seabed.
This distinction is important when observing the vessel photographically. The broad hull, substantial working deck and unusually large superstructure should be interpreted as components of an industrial pelagic-fishing platform. The vessel's proportions are therefore not simply a consequence of carrying capacity; they reflect the need to operate continuously and effectively in remote oceanic environments.
FU XING HAI also illustrates the changing scale of the global fishing fleet. A recent FAO publication identifying the largest fishing vessels constructed in 2023 places FU XING HAI among the five largest fishing vessels constructed that year, listing her at 136.6 metres, 15,071 GT and 9,000 kW.
Table Bay Maritime Environment Through Photography
There is consequently considerable value in recording a vessel such as FU XING HAI as more than simply "Fishing Vessel". For maritime observation and ship photography, a more informative classification is large pelagic trawler / Antarctic krill fishing vessel. Global Fishing Watch independently identifies her predicted vessel type as fishing and her gear type as trawler, supporting that interpretation.
Her relationship with Cape Town adds another dimension to the observation record. AIS-based vessel databases show Cape Town among FU XING HAI's recorded ports, while photographic records place her in Table Bay in December 2025. This makes the vessel particularly relevant to South African maritime observation: although her principal operational environment may be the Southern Ocean and Antarctic waters, Cape Town forms part of the logistical network supporting such distant-water operations.
Ship Spotting as Photography Hobby
For the maritime observer, FU XING HAI is therefore an excellent example of how vessel identification can reveal a much larger story. What might initially appear to be simply a very large Chinese fishing vessel becomes, through IMO identification and supporting maritime records, a purpose-built component of the modern Antarctic krill fishery.
Her 136.6-metre hull, 15,071 GT displacement class, specialised midwater trawling equipment and Antarctic operating permissions place FU XING HAI firmly within the industrial end of contemporary fishing-vessel design. Photographically, she is also a reminder that ship observation is not merely about recording names and silhouettes. The vessel itself provides evidence of the scale, technology and geographical reach of the maritime industry operating beyond the visible horizon.
Photographic Equipment
Camera: Canon EOS R6 Mark III
Lens: Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM Lens
Photographic Genre: Maritime Photography / Ship Spotting
Location: Table Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
References
Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. (2026). Fu Xing Hai (CCAMLR vessel ID 118467; IMO 9959620).
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2026). Implementation of the FAO International Plan of Action for the Management of Fishing Capacity (IPOA-Capacity).
Global Fishing Watch. (2026). Fu Xing Hai: Vessel identity and fishing activity (IMO 9959620).
ShipSpotting. (2025). FU XING HAI—IMO 9959620.
VesselFinder. (2026). FU XING HAI—IMO 9959620.
