Maersk Tunis, a 9,000-TEU methanol dual-fuel container ship built for Denmark's shipowner Maersk, is delivered on July 22. [Photo/CHINA DAILY]
Jiangsu New Yangzi Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group based in Jingjiang in East China's Jiangsu province, successfully commissioned a 9,000-TEU methanol dual-fuel container ship for Denmark's shipowner Maersk on July 22.
This vessel, a symbol of green shipbuilding in Jingjiang, features a methanol dual-fuel propulsion system that significantly reduces sulfur oxide and other pollutant emissions, aligning with the global shipping industry's trend toward sustainability. The ship also employs a low-noise propeller design to minimize impact on marine life.
Currently, around 70 percent of the ships under construction by New Yangzi are powered by new energy, making green vessels a mainstream product for the company.
Shipbuilding is a hallmark industry in Jingjiang, home to two of the world's top 10 shipbuilders — New Times Shipbuilding and Yangzijiang Shipbuilding. These drive the development of over 200 upstream and downstream enterprises and nearly 50,000 workers. The two companies' order books are filled through 2030.
Jingjiang's shipbuilders are advancing in high-tech shipbuilding, achieving breakthroughs in clean energy and ultra-large vessels.
Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, for instance, is the first private Chinese enterprise to build a 175,000-cubic-meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier. It has also developed the Very Large Ethane Carrier (VLEC) boasting the maximum cabin capacity in the world, and the first wind-assisted LNG dual-fuel oil tanker.
The company's capacity and manufacturing capabilities are also expanding. The Yangzi Hongyuan Green High-Tech Clean Energy Shipbuilding Base, with a total investment of 5.5 billion yuan ($811 million), is now under construction. This will take production capacity to 1 million deadweight metric tons a year, delivering 10 to 12 clean energy ships annually.