Sailing boat for fish culture in open sea area or ocean

Abstract

The invention relates to a quadruple sailing boat (1) for fish farming in open or ocean sea areas, comprising at least one base structure (2), at least one seine (5), at least one driving and accommodation compartment (3), at least one sail system (4) and at least one storage silo (6), all of which are modular and / or detachable. According to the invention, the at least one base structure (2) comprises: at least two main floats (7) which are parallel and spaced apart from each other and are connected or fastened to each other by means of at least one arm (8); and at least two secondary floating bodies (9) adjacent to each of the at least two main floating bodies (7), the perimeter of the secondary floating bodies being smaller than the perimeter of the at least two main floating bodies (7), and the two secondary floating bodies being arranged parallel to each outboard and at a distance from the at least two main floating bodies.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of aquaculture and relates to a sailing boat for fish farming in open or pelagic sea areas, formed by a catamaran that can be moved from one place to another and that can remain in motion throughout the farming period or can remain stationary in a predetermined position for the desired time. Preferably, the present invention corresponds to a catamaran configured with a rigid and solid structure that can move autonomously, preferably by means of a sail system. BACKGROUND

[0002] Fish farming systems in the aquaculture industry are well known and they essentially consist of a floating structure, a fishing net pen suspended from said floating structure towards the bottom of the water body and a mooring system that allows maintaining the shape of the farming module and keeping it in its installed position.

[0003] The fish farming system, whether square, rectangular, circular or other shape, allows forming or providing a water area that confines the fish to be farmed within it. Usually, the farming system forms a determined size that defines the perimeter size of the cage structure that must have a construction that allows maintaining resistance and not to collapse due to the action of waves, ocean currents and adverse weather conditions. The mooring system is very important to maintain the shape of the module.

[0004] Traditionally, the coastal edges associated with areas free from swells and ocean currents are preferred for positioning the structure in said activity. However, the aquaculture industry has been working in recent years to configure cage structures with shapes, constructions and more resistant and solid mooring systems that allow forming farming centers in more exposed areas or areas away from the coast.

[0005] Traditional aquaculture is generally carried out in protected areas where the water is shallower, where pollution is not easily solved, the water quality is not good and the sanitary conditions are generally poor, being a problem in farming. The placement of the farming area near the coast and the continuous use of a certain area or geographical area, in addition to other problems, also generates the risk of contamination by the activity itself, having an impact on the environment; and it is affected by external factors such as microalgae, water temperature increase, diseases, oxygen reduction, among others, which can contaminate or infect it.

[0006] Today, the industry is committed to developing farming in more open areas or open sea, to avoid the pollution and hygiene problems that usually exist in the farming areas. However, open sea farming pens are not mobile, they also need to be moored to keep them in place over time, as well as to keep their shape, they are weather sensitive, requiring very strong structures and mooring configurations, there are logistical problems in terms of daily feeding and maintenance, which translates into high reproduction and maintenance costs. Deep farming centers are far from the coast, making management and maintenance difficult. The farming center must have a great capacity for self-sufficiency and a high level of mechanization, it must also have a great capacity to withstand wind and waves, to avoid extreme sea conditions.

[0007] The global demand for food production, especially proteins, continues to grow, so it is necessary to have better spaces to meet current and future demands. New farming or fattening areas are needed to alleviate the pressure on coastal areas.

[0008] The task of relocating production activities in the open sea is not without difficulties, since it must be moved to open ocean or high-energy areas, near-shore or open sea, for which it is necessary to establish farming centers capable of facing or evading complex situations from the point of view of adverse weather conditions, among others.

[0009] Document US2022 / 0061278 A1 (RUIZ NAYEM), published on March 3, 2022, describes a mobile offshore farming or rearing center or production center for the development of aquatic species for reproduction, management and production, with a solid design that allows surface operations and offshore navigation, as well as high load capacity and agility for maneuvering and moving to different locations, comprising: a) a central structure similar to a float, with a fluid dynamics bow that breaks off the deflecting waves; b) integrated peripheral stabilization supports for stabilization, floating, as well as navigation and / or production maneuvering; c) a structured farming area of variable volume; d) metal structure nets and / or heavy structure nets for the confinement of species; e) a system for hoisting or lifting the metal nets and / or heavy nets; and f) internal motorization for autonomous navigation.

[0010] Building mobile farming areas will replace, to some extent, the loss of pelagic fish due to overfishing, thus replacing the impact that these fish have in the marine ecosystem food chain. The pelagic, i.e. the open sea, has innumerable advantages due to the pristine and unpolluted nature of its waters, good oxygenation and minimal spread of diseases, more stable conditions and more predictable changes. The disadvantage is that it is a completely open place, without shelter, with bad weather and with huge winds and waves, which requires very good calculations of the stresses on the structures to be used.

[0011] The pelagic farming center must also be of a large size to seek sufficient profitability, it needs to be designed and configured with a very strong structure and very well calculated through a carefully studied design so as to be able to eliminate the stresses it will be subjected to.

[0012] Therefore, the Applicant has designed a four-body type self-sustaining and self-propelled boat for fish farming in open sea areas, which includes a design that allows the balance between large buoyancy in parallel floats not far from each other to be achieved, to achieve good stability and a very strong structure. To achieve these effects, the boat adopts an elliptical tubular float design. This design provides excellent solidity with a relatively small amount of material - i.e. the ideal shape that achieves the maximum resistance with respect to the amount of material used and the ease of construction. From this it is possible to obtain maximum dimensions of the square meter, thus guaranteeing important areas for the installation of fishing nets. Furthermore, by adopting a tubular structure and an elliptical design in the direction of maximum stress, the optimal shape design of the arm structure is achieved.

[0013] The boat is designed, calculated and constructed to resist any weather conditions that occur on the open sea, however, without affecting the concept of aquaculture or the farming and fattening of aquatic species in open areas that has already been solved by other structures or systems previously, the solution presented in this invention allows it to remain in motion or to be properly moved from one farming location or area to another, which allows it to be transferred to ideal optimal areas that improve the conditions of farming, or away from adverse weather conditions, such as large swells, storms, hurricanes, typhoons or other risks related to wind, currents or marine pollution, which ultimately allows the development of the breeding of farmed species in areas where they naturally develop, and where its transfer or movement capacity allows the farm to be kept in areas with ideal temperatures, oxygenation, etc. This also enables it to move long distances, even being able to direct it not only to more efficient farming areas, but then it can be docked or approached directly to slaughter areas, consumption or distribution centers. SUMMARY

[0014] The objective of the present invention is to provide a boat for fish farming in open or pelagic sea areas, whose design, shape and structural configuration includes a hard and strong structure that allows it to resist and effectively overcome adverse weather conditions that occur in the farming area, can be moved in a self-propelled manner and is autonomous and self-sustaining.

[0015] The present invention relates to a sailing boat for fish farming in open or oceanic sea areas, formed by a catamaran (1), which essentially comprises at least one base structure (2), at least one enclosure net (5) forming a farming area, further comprising at least one command and accommodation cabin (3), which can be modular and / or removable, at least one sail system (4), which can be modular and / or removable, and at least one storage silo (6), which can be modular and / or removable, wherein the at least one base structure (2) comprises at least two main floats (7) parallel and spaced apart and connected or tied together by at least one arm (8), and further comprises at least two secondary floats (9) adjacent to each of the at least two main floats (7), the at least two secondary floats (9) being smaller in size in relation to the circumference of the at least two main floats (7) and arranged in the form of a parallel to each of the outboard sides of the at least two main floats (7) and spaced apart from the at least two main floats (7), the at least two secondary floats (9) being connected or tied to the at least two main floats by at least one secondary arm (10), wherein the at least two secondary floats (9) are arranged in pairs on each side, i.e. at least one upper float (11) and at least one lower float (12), arranged in a parallel manner, one above the other, and connected at intervals by at least one vertical connecting support (13). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to help better understand the features of the invention, according to a preferred embodiment of the practical implementation of the invention, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of the description, in which the invention is embodied in an exemplary and non-limiting manner.

[0017] Figure 1 Corresponding to a side top perspective view of a sailing boat for fish farming in open or oceanic sea areas formed by a self-propelled autonomous catamaran according to the invention.

[0018] Figure 2 - Corresponding to a top perspective view of a sailing boat for fish farming in open or oceanic sea areas formed by a self-propelled autonomous catamaran according to the invention, the sailing boat shown without the fishing net enclosure.

[0019] Figure 3 Corresponding to a side top perspective view of the base structure of a sailing boat for fish farming in open or oceanic sea areas formed by a self-propelled autonomous catamaran according to the invention.

[0020] Figure 4 Corresponding to a front view of the base structure of a sailing boat for fish farming in open or oceanic sea areas formed by a self-propelled autonomous catamaran according to the invention.

[0021] Figure 5- side view corresponding to the base structure of a sailboat for fish farming in open or oceanic sea areas formed by a self-propelled autonomous catamaran according to the present application.

[0022] Figure 6 - front top perspective view of the base structure with the purse seine of a sailboat for fish farming in open or oceanic sea areas formed by a self-propelled autonomous catamaran according to the present application.

[0023] Figure 7 - front view of the base structure with the purse seine of a sailboat for fish farming in open or oceanic sea areas formed by a self-propelled autonomous catamaran according to the present application.

[0024] Figure 8 - top perspective view of a sailboat for fish farming in open or oceanic sea areas formed by a self-propelled autonomous catamaran according to the present application, the sailboat shown without the purse seine.

[0025] Figure 9 - front perspective view of a sailboat for fish farming in open or oceanic sea areas formed by a self-propelled autonomous catamaran according to the present application, the sailboat shown without the purse seine.

[0026] Figure 10 - detail of the storage silos of a sailboat for fish farming in open or oceanic sea areas formed by a self-propelled autonomous catamaran according to the present application, shown in a side top perspective view. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present application relates to a sailboat for fish farming in open or oceanic sea areas formed by a catamaran (1), as Figure 1 and Figure 2 representatively shown in the figures, which basically comprises at least one base structure (2), at least one command and accommodation cabin (3), which can be modular and / or removable, at least one sail system (4), which can be modular and / or removable, at least one purse seine (5) forming a farming area, and at least one storage silo (6), which can be modular and / or removable.

[0028] As can be seen in Figures 3 to 5 , Figure 8 and Figure 9As will be seen in greater detail, the at least one base structure (2) comprises at least two main floats (7) formed by parallel and spaced apart elliptical, circular and / or oval tubes, the at least two main floats (7) being partially ballastable and having a size or diameter that allows the internal arrangement of systems, devices and / or instruments to configure a harvesting and / or slaughtering line of the farmed species, the at least two main floats (7) being connected or tied together by at least one elliptical, circular and / or oval tube-shaped arm (8) designed to achieve the maximum area or beam, thus obtaining the maximum square number of working area, with the guarantee of maximum resistance, wherein in addition to the at least two main floats, a keel (A) can be included in a portion of their lower section or in their entire longitudinal lower section and a closed transport section (B) can be included in the opposite upper section. The base structure (2) also comprises at least two secondary floats (9) adjacent to each of the at least two main floats (7) of solid and elongated shape, the at least two secondary floats (9) having a smaller size in terms of circumference with respect to the circumference of the at least two main floats (7) and being arranged parallel to and spaced apart from each of the outer sides of the at least two main floats (7), the at least two secondary floats (9) being configured in the shape of elliptical, circular and / or oval tubes, the at least two secondary floats (9) being connected or tied to the at least two main floats by at least one secondary arm (10) of elliptical, circular and / or oval shape, wherein the at least two secondary floats (9) are configured in pairs on each side, i.e. at least one upper float (11) and at least one lower float (12), which can have fixed, removable and / or pivotable mounting, being connected by at least one vertical connecting support (13) in a parallel spaced apart manner from top to bottom.

[0029] The at least one upper float (11) belongs to the floating type of float, which is only immersed to a depth of about half its diameter; while the at least one lower float (12) belongs to the fully immersed type of float, which has the characteristic of being ballastable, acting as a keel. This configuration achieves a significant beam, while avoiding excessive buoyancy stresses by controlling the buoyancy, thus preventing structural damage. These two smaller floats connected vertically provide excellent stability in addition to providing an excellent longitudinal keel during navigation, to maintain the orientation of the boat.

[0030] As can be seen in Figure 1 、 6 and 7, the base structure (2) is therefore configured in a meshed open structure at the stern, at the bow, at the starboard, at the port and in its lower and upper sections, on which nets (5) are arranged and connected, such as fishing net pens, sea lion nets and / or bird nets, which form closed farming areas, allowing the species to be farmed to be confined therein.

[0031] In one embodiment of the application, asFigure 9 As shown, the base structure (2) further comprises at least one tensioned rope or reinforcing cable (14) connected between at least two main floats (7), between at least two secondary floats (9), between at least one arm (8) and / or at least one secondary arm (10), or a combination of connections and arrangements between at least one of the elements of the base structure. Furthermore, as can be seen in more detail in Figure 10 , the damping element (20) is connected to the base structure, in particular to the side of at least two secondary floats (9).

[0032] As shown in detail in Figure 10 , the at least one removable silo (6) comprises a main body (15) having at least one ventilation window (16) and at least one supply hose (17) connected to the silo main body, so that the hose can be connected to a boat that will be moored on the side of the catamaran (1) formed for autonomous fish farming in open or oceanic waters, to carry out the feed supply.

[0033] The configuration of the at least one removable silo (6) allows it to be installed or removed from the base structure (2) between the net-like spaces formed by the configuration of the at least one base structure (2), preferably between the space generated between at least two parallel main floats (7) and at least one connecting arm (8), to be arranged in said spaces.

[0034] As can be seen better in Figure 1 , Figures 8 to 10 , the at least one sail system (4) comprises at least one propulsion sail (18), which can be of the mainsail type, a triangular sail, etc., which provides propulsion to the boat as it receives all the wind force, and at least one directional sail or rudder sail (19), each of said sails (18, 19) comprising a mast and at least one deployable sail.

[0035] Furthermore, in order to obtain the additional energy required for habitability, navigation and steering systems, and feeding, harvesting and slaughter systems or equipment that will be part of the boat, as well as all those elements that require energy, such as wind systems, tidal systems, wave systems and / or solar systems or combinations thereof, etc., will be obtained through renewable energy sources, thus achieving an autonomous, self-propelled and self-sustaining boat.

[0036] The four-hull shape provided by both the at least two main hulls (7) and the at least two secondary hulls (9) allows to provide large areas of cultivation in square meters, while maintaining the utmost solidity, stability and excellent conditions or behavior in its Pitch, Roll and Heave movements of the boat or nautical artifact. These important conditions, achieved by the dimensions of its length and width, the good floating balance of its different parts or elements, and the presence of four similar keels along its entire length, confer an excellent ability to maintain a stable course with very little drift, in addition to being able to sail in both longitudinal directions, simply by changing the direction of the sail system, which is achieved by not having a bow or stern, since its structure and all its infrastructure for navigation assistance are symmetrical.

[0037] The structure of this sailboat for fish farming in open or pelagic sea areas, formed by a four-hull boat, includes silos, habitable and command spaces, harvesting systems, slaughter systems and other equipment, all removable and / or modular, not connected to the nautical artifact, which allows to install or support the purse seine using only the base structure (2), since its design and structure allow it to be used only as a trawl cage, thus providing a farming module that can be towed by one or more boats.

[0038] The sailboat of the invention has a versatility achieved by the modular and / or removable nature of its basic constituent elements, since for the manufacturing or construction process, the base structure (2) will be assembled or manufactured as a first stage, to which other basic modular and / or removable elements can or can not be attached, such as silos, sail systems, command and living modules, harvesting systems, slaughter systems, renewable energy production systems and other systems, equipment and devices required by the farming center, which can provide both a self-sufficient, autonomous and / or sustainable sailboat for farming fish or other pelagic or open sea aquatic species, as well as a towable pelagic or open sea farming cage.

[0039] Although the form of the sailboat for fish farming in open or pelagic sea areas, formed by the four-hull boat described by the invention, constitutes the preferred content of the invention, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to this particular form and can be changed without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the attached claims.

Claims

1. A sailing boat for fish farming in open or oceanic sea areas, said sailing boat being formed by a trimaran (1) which provides a self-propelled floating structure with large surface and large capacity for fish farming in open sea areas, which works and moves safely in adverse sea conditions, said sailing boat comprising at least one base structure (2), at least one purse seine (5) to form a farming area, at least one command and living cabin (3), at least one sail system (4) and at least one storage silo (6), characterized in that, The base structure (2) comprises at least two main floats (7) arranged parallel and spaced from each other, connected to each other by at least one arm (8), and at least two secondary floats (9) smaller in size with respect to the at least two main floats (7) and arranged in parallel to the outer sides of each of the at least two main floats (7) and spaced from the at least two main floats (7), connected to the at least two main floats via at least one secondary arm (10), wherein the base structure (2) is provided as an open structure at the stern, at the bow, at the starboard, at the port, and at the upper and lower parts thereof, with a net-like and / or the at least one containment net (5) arranged and connected on the base structure (2), and wherein the at least two secondary floats (9) are arranged in pairs on each side and comprise at least one floating upper float (11) and at least one ballastable submerged lower float (12), arranged parallel and spaced from each other and connected by at least one vertical connecting support (13), and wherein the sailboat for fish farming further comprises at least one sail system (4), and wherein the arms (8) connecting the main floats and the secondary arms (10) connecting the secondary floats (9) to the main floats (7) are continuous structures from one side to the other, and wherein the at least one command and living cabin (3), the at least one storage silo (6), and the at least one sail system (4) are modular and / or removable.

2. The sailboat for fish farming in open or ocean sea areas according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least one upper float (11) corresponds to a floating float, which is at most only submerged to about half of its diameter, and the at least one lower float (12) corresponds to a submerged float and acts as a keel as it can be ballasted.

3. A sailboat for fish farming in open or oceanic waters according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The base structure (2) further comprises at least one tensioned rope or reinforcing cable (14) connected between the at least two main floats (7), between the at least two secondary floats (9), between the at least one arm (8) and / or the at least one secondary arm (10), or a combination of connections and arrangements of elements of at least one base structure.

4. A sailboat for fish farming in open or oceanic waters according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The sailboat further comprises a damping element (20) connected to the base structure, in particular to the sides of the at least two secondary floats (9).

5. A sailboat for fish farming in open or oceanic waters according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The at least one removable silo (6) comprises a main body (15) having at least one ventilation window (16) and at least one supply hose (17) connected to the silo main body.

6. A sailboat for fish farming in open or oceanic waters according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The at least one sail system (4) comprises at least one propulsion sail (18), which can be a mainsail type, a jib, etc., which provides propulsion to the sailboat as it receives all the wind, and at least one directional sail or a steering sail (19), wherein each of the sails (18, 19) comprises a mast and at least one deployable sail.

7. A sailboat for fish farming in open or oceanic waters according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that, Said at least two main floats (7) are formed by parallel and spaced apart elliptical, circular and / or oval tubes, which can be partially ballasted.

8. A sailboat for fish farming in open or oceanic waters according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that, Said at least two secondary floats (9) have a smaller dimension in terms of circumference with respect to said at least two main floats (7) and are configured as tubular in an elliptical, circular and / or oval shape.

9. A sailboat for fish farming in open or oceanic waters according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that, Said sailboat further comprises fixed, modular or removable feeding, harvesting and slaughtering systems or devices, as well as fixed, modular and / or removable devices or systems for the production of renewable energy, such as wind systems, tidal systems, wave systems and / or solar systems or combinations thereof.

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