'MINATOMAÉ' is a coined term signifying the concept of conducting aquaculture in close proximity to the port

From Heavy Industry to High-Tech Salmon: Kawasaki's MINATOMAÉ System Pioneers Suburban Aquaculture

Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries Repurposes Aerospace and LNG Technologies to Achieve the Highest Fish Farming Density in the Nation, Targeting Commercialization by 2027

Kobe – Kawasaki Heavy Industries, a company traditionally known for gas turbines, railroad vehicles, and LNG tanks, is making an unconventional but powerful move into the global food security challenge with its innovative MINATOMAÉ aquaculture system. The name, a portmanteau of the Japanese words 'minato' (port) and 'mae' (in front), reflects the system's core concept: enabling high-density, low-stress fish farming right near ports in suburban areas to deliver ultra-fresh protein to city dwellers while drastically cutting transportation costs.

This project is a direct response to the global population's projected reach of 10 billion, which poses an enormous challenge to food supply chains. Kawasaki's unique advantage lies in applying its deep expertise from heavy industrial and plant engineering to optimize the complex aquatic environment.

"Fish farmers are experts in growing fish in sea culture, but they have little expertise in creating an optimal sea culture environment," explained Atsushi Sano, manager of the MINATOMAÉ project and Food Security Solution Project Manager at the Corporate Technology Division. "We thought we could create a comfortable fish farming environment by combining an array of sophisticated technologies that we built while working on many plant engineering projects."

Aquaculture pen built in the water near the site of Kawasaki’s Kobe Works

Technological Convergence for Stress-Free Farming

The MINATOMAÉ system is a profound example of technological convergence, integrating advanced engineering principles into its aquaculture design:

• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD): Analysis and simulation—originally used for gas turbines and railroad vehicles—optimize water flow within the pen, ensuring an even and healthy environment.

• Water Treatment Expertise: Technologies for dissolved oxygen level measurement, analysis, and water purification (borrowed from water treatment plants) are used to maintain pristine water quality.

• Fluid Sloshing Control: Expertise from designing LNG tanks helps maintain stability in the contained environment.

The physical design of the system is a closed pen with an inflatable pool-like structure. This framework incorporates seawater pumping, filtering, and UV sterilization to minimize stress on the fish, a crucial factor in achieving high density and superior product quality.

Record Density and Promising Harvests

The viability of MINATOMAÉ was successfully demonstrated through a series of tests, culminating in a fifth experiment conducted between mid-January and late-April 2025 near Kawasaki’s Kobe Works. With assistance from Maruha Nichiro Corporation, a leading fisheries company, 900 trout salmon were cultured at a density of 60 kg/ton, the highest level in Japan for this species.

The trial achieved a total fish weight of 1.7 tonnes within 30 tonnes of seawater. The results were highly positive:

• Fish grew generally at the expected rate, averaging 2 kg each upon harvest.

• Some fish even exceeded 3 kg, indicating robust growth conditions.

• The system successfully confirmed its capability for large production capacity from high-density farming while meeting key quality requirements for good physical growth and fish odor control.

The MINATOMAÉ system is housed in a semi-closed pen and equipped with water quality control functions to address environmental changes caused by red tides and other factors, in order to achieve a relatively high farming density and survival rate and produce farmed fish designed to minimize the risk of anisakis. In addition, the system’s key advantage lies in its suitability to be located in suburban coastal areas, which allows for delivery of farm-fresh products and good traceability. Click on the image to enlarge it

Following the successful trout salmon test, a pilot culture of yellowtail was also carried out. The ability to utilize the sea near ports and coasts for high-density aquaculture is seen as a game-changer for the supply chain, significantly reducing transportation costs and energy usage.

0.9 kg salmon growing to a weight of 2 kg

Kawasaki is now preparing to scale up the pen facilities and verification tests, aiming for full-fledged commercialization by fiscal 2027. The company has set an ambitious target of achieving 10 billion yen in sales by around 2040, positioning MINATOMAÉ as a global leader in sustainable, high-tech urban aquaculture.

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