Hubei Accelerates Green and Intelligent Ship Industry, Targets 130 Billion Yuan Output by 2027

WUHAN, April 17 — Central China’s Hubei Province has rolled out measures to accelerate the development of its green and intelligent ship industry, setting a clear target that the province’s shipbuilding industry output will exceed 130 billion yuan by 2027, with an average annual growth rate of over 15%, according to official announcements on April 17.

Endowed with a complete industrial foundation, distinct geographical advantages and abundant application scenarios for ships, Hubei has witnessed remarkable progress in the sector in recent years. According to People’s Network, a number of landmark demonstration ships have made their debuts, including the “Yangtze Three Gorges 1”, the world’s largest-tonnage pure electric cruise ship, and the “Gezhouba”, the world’s first 10,000-ton pure electric bulk carrier for inland rivers, which was launched in Yichang City.

At the test platform of Hubei East Lake Laboratory, researchers are conducting joint commissioning tests on new products. Deng Fang, Deputy Director of the Green Transportation Technology Innovation Center at East Lake Laboratory, introduced that the platform is capable of conducting 1:1 onshore tests of ship power systems under full power and full working conditions, particularly full-ship blackout tests, to ensure the safety and reliability of ships under extreme conditions.

Li Jinkun, person in charge of the Hubei Provincial Office of National Defense Science, Technology and Industry, noted that Hubei boasts strong R&D capabilities, including 7 core research institutes of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), high-level platforms such as Hubei East Lake Laboratory, and top universities like Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Wuhan University of Technology. On the supply side, the province adheres to a diversified technological route, focusing on breaking through cutting-edge technologies such as electric, methanol, hydrogen and ammonia power, developing hybrid power technologies, and launching swap-based bulk cargo transportation routes.

Hubei has also made efforts in scenario cultivation, business model innovation and supply chain construction to continuously optimize the industrial ecology of green and intelligent ships. According to Economic Daily, the province has built China’s first professional inland river ship supply chain platform, attracting 1,146 core enterprises to join the chain.

The integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation has given Hubei a prominent first-mover advantage in the green and intelligent ship industry. Statistics show that 80% of the R&D and design of green and intelligent ships in China originate from Hubei. In addition, China’s half of the new energy power systems for delivered ships come from the 712th Research Institute of CSSC in Wuhan, which has launched a number of green and intelligent equipment products this year.

Wang Zhonglin, Secretary of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee, stated that Hubei will accelerate the layout of the new track for the development of the green and intelligent ship industry, promote high-quality industrial development with greater efforts and more concrete measures, and continue to strengthen scientific and technological research, industrial system construction, promotion and application, and coordinated development, striving to build the green and intelligent ship industry into a pillar industry.