Records of the Yellow River Journey | How China’s Smart – Made New Energy Ships Are Rewriting the Power Genes of Inland River Navigation
In an era where the global push for sustainable transportation is in full swing, new energy vehicles have become a common and visible sight on the streets, revolutionizing land – based mobility. However, as we cast our gaze towards the waterways, a parallel transformation is quietly taking place. The world of inland river navigation, long dominated by traditional fuel – powered vessels, is now on the cusp of a significant shift, with new energy ships emerging as a game – changing force. On April 12th, the “Walking Along the Yellow River” themed interview team made its way to the new energy ship manufacturing base in Jining, a place at the forefront of this nautical revolution. Here, green and intelligent high – performance ships are being churned out through standardized mass production on the assembly line, effectively rewriting the “power genes” of inland river navigation and heralding a new era of sustainable and efficient waterborne transport. One of the world’s largest cruise ship manufacturers, during an inspection of Shandong Xinneng Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. last year, couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment: “We have 245 projects globally, yet we’ve never come across a shipbuilding enterprise with such an impressively high automation rate.”
Entering the joint workshop of Xinneng Shipbuilding, nearly a hundred automated devices are operating in an orderly manner, and driverless transport vehicles are moving around. Everywhere reflects the production transformation brought about by digitalization and intelligence. Here, 10 new energy ships can be built simultaneously, with the efficiency being twice that of traditional inland shipbuilding, and only a quarter of the original manpower is required.
As the country’s first green, intelligent, modern, and standardized demonstration base for inland new energy ship manufacturing that integrates R & D, design, and intelligent manufacturing, Xinneng Shipbuilding has developed new series of standardized inland ships to meet the needs of various application scenarios, leading the “digital – intelligent transformation” of inland shipbuilding. Among them, the 90 – meter LNG ship has a cruising range of 2,000 kilometers, making it no problem to make a round – trip from Longgong Port in Jining to Taicang Port in Jiangsu.
“First, it has very little pollution; second, in terms of operating costs, an LNG ship of the same tonnage is 300 yuan cheaper per hundred kilometers than a diesel ship; and it is also more advanced in aspects such as intelligent driving, intelligent navigation, and intelligent operation compared to the original ships,” said Liu Yulong, Assistant to the Chairman of Shandong Xinneng Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. Currently, inland ships are still mainly driven by traditional fuel, and diesel ships account for more than 90% on the Beijing – Hangzhou Grand Canal. In contrast, new ship types powered by natural gas and batteries can reduce pollutant emissions and carbon emissions by more than 90% and 20% respectively. Under the development trend of inland ships’ transformation such as upgrading in size, converting from fuel to gas, and from bulk to container, the market prospect of this new type of ship is very broad.
In recent years, the European market has increasingly high environmental protection requirements for zero – carbon emissions and green energy – saving. The 4E green intelligent ships characterized by “energy – saving, environmental – friendly, economical, and efficient” built by Xinneng Shipbuilding have also won the favor of many foreign customers. “Last year, we received a procurement intention from CMA CGM Group, the world’s third – largest global container carrier. They ordered a pure – electric container ship. This year, new orders from Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa, and other regions have exceeded a hundred,” said Liu Yulong.
How long does it take to recharge a pure – electric ship? At Xinneng Shipbuilding, the answer is less than half an hour. “We have set up pilot projects along the Grand Canal, such as at Liangshan Port and Longgong Port. We innovatively adopt a new energy replenishment mode of box – type battery replacement. Through intelligent charging stations and port lifting equipment, we can quickly replace the batteries for ships, shortening the original eight – hour charging time to within half an hour,” Wu Zecheng, Deputy General Manager of Shandong Xinneng Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., told reporters. This battery – replacement mode not only greatly extends the effective operation time of ships but also saves electricity cost by “avoiding peak and using off – peak electricity”. Moreover, it realizes the safety inspection of battery performance during the battery – replacement process, with prominent advantages.
It is understood that currently, the four main ship types mass – produced by the company, namely the 90 – meter LNG, 73 – meter LNG, 67.6 – meter LNG, and 67.6 – meter battery – powered ships, are all independently developed, first – created in China, and have passed the CCS certification. The first – phase project that has been put into production has the production capacity of building 240 ships per year.
In conclusion, Shandong Xinneng Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. stands as a trailblazer in the inland new energy ship manufacturing sector. Its remarkable achievements, from the development of advanced ship models to the establishment of innovative production and energy – replenishment systems, have not only set a high standard for the domestic industry but also attracted significant international attention. The ambitious plan to build 1,000 new energy ships in the next five years is not merely a numerical target; it is a strategic blueprint that will drive the agglomeration and growth of a vast array of port – related industries. This will, in turn, give rise to a 10 – billion – yuan – level inland green intelligent ship industry cluster, firmly anchoring China’s position as a leader in the global transition towards sustainable inland waterway transportation. As Xinneng Shipbuilding continues to sail forward on this innovative journey, it is not only reshaping the future of inland river navigation but also contributing significantly to the global effort to combat climate change and build a more sustainable world.
