The Republic of the Congo is a new focus for China’s distant water fishing fleet.
Qingdao Rongchang Yuan Yang Yu Ye Co (also known as Rong Chang Long Distance Fishing Co) celebrated the entry of its 10 vessels to the Congo with a ceremony in Xiangshan, near the port of Ningbo, which is also a major seafood canning center. The company described its Congo operations as “A major step forward in China’s international fishing ambitions.”
Set up in 2014, Rong Chang Long Distance Fishing started out with a registered capital of CNY 30 million (USD 4.48 million, EUR 4.07 million) but has spent CNY 178 million (USD 26.70 million, EUR 24.1 million) on its vessels for the Congo, with each vessel 4,670 tons and 49.9 meters in length.
Rong Chang now has major refrigeration and logistic capacity and full permitting from the Congolese government. Its lead vessels, Lu Huang Yuan 185 and Lu Huang Yuan Yu 195, are currently operating in the Congo’s exclusive economic zone in the Gulf of Guinea.
In a statement, the company praised “abundant fishery resources” in the waters, which it said remain relatively unexploited due to “backward” local fishing technology and equipment. It added that it foresees an “excellent outlook” for its operations in the Congo.
