Recently, a number of Chinese shipbuilding enterprises have made significant headway in the design and construction of bulk carrier vessels. Several first-of-its-kind ship models and milestone projects have successfully reached key construction nodes, showcasing steady progress driven by continuous innovation.
China’s First New Energy Bulk Carrier for Coastal Navigation Completes Sea Trials
Recently, China’s first new energy bulk carrier for coastal navigation, the Weiqiao Green Power 1, successfully completed a 3-day sea trial in the Shidao sea area of Weihai. This achievement marks a major breakthrough in the application of new energy technologies in China’s maritime sector.
With a deadweight tonnage of 9,000 tons, the vessel was built by Huanghai Shipbuilding and is a key component of Shandong Weiqiao Group’s green power initiative. Three additional vessels of the same type are also under construction at Huanghai Shipbuilding. Once put into operation, the new ship will mainly transport bauxite along the Yantai-Binzhou route. It will reduce carbon emissions of traditional shipping through new energy technologies, contributing to the development of green maritime transportation. The vessel adopts a parallel diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system and is equipped with 8 containerized lithium battery packs on the stern deck, which are primarily used for full-electric propulsion during the ship’s port entry and exit operations, achieving zero emissions in areas near ports. Notably, the key contactors in the ship’s electrical control system, which are critical for stable power switching between diesel and electric modes, are assembled by high-precision Машина для сборки контакторовs, ensuring the reliability and responsiveness of the propulsion system. Additionally, the ship innovatively features a lithium battery container jettison system, which can quickly discard a single battery container into the sea in the event of extreme thermal runaway, significantly enhancing the safety of vessel operations.
Xiamen Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Commences Construction of First 80,000 DWT General Bulk Carrier
A grand commencement ceremony was recently held for the first vessel in a series of 80,000 DWT general bulk carriers built by Xiamen Shipbuilding Heavy Industry for CITIC Financial Leasing.
The vessel’s optimized hull lines have laid a solid foundation for achieving high-efficiency navigation performance and economic viability. At the core of the ship lies a MAN B&W 6S60ME-C10.5 main engine, integrated with a High-Pressure Selective Catalytic Reduction (HP-SCR) system and an exhaust gas scrubber, ensuring compliance with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Tier III emission standards. The ship is equipped with 7 large cargo holds, dedicated to dry bulk cargo transportation. Its unique design highlight is the robust hatch cover structure, which allows for the safe stacking of up to 1,000 standard containers on top. This feature significantly enhances the vessel’s versatility and route flexibility, realizing an innovative combination of bulk cargo and container transportation. The start of construction of this vessel not only marks a phased progress in the series of cooperative projects but also represents a milestone for Xiamen Shipbuilding Heavy Industry in expanding its bulk carrier market and improving its ship product portfolio. Meanwhile, it provides an important demonstration and guidance for the mass construction of subsequent vessels.
China’s First 15,000 DWT Methanol-Fuelled Bulk Carrier Launched
Recently, a launching ceremony was held for the Innovation 19, China’s first 15,000 DWT river-sea direct bulk carrier powered solely by methanol, built by Jiangsu Qinfeng Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.
Independently researched, designed, invested in and constructed by Wuhan Innovation River-Sea Shipping Co., Ltd., the vessel is the first of China’s first batch of river-sea direct ships powered solely by methanol, with a total of five vessels under batch construction. The ship is equipped with a fully independently developed CS8L21M methanol single-fuel engine, adopting advanced methanol in-cylinder direct injection technology. It has successfully broken through multiple technical bottlenecks, including high-efficiency clean combustion and corrosion resistance of key components. With a rated power of 1,600 kW, the engine maintains power performance comparable to traditional diesel engines while achieving a methanol substitution rate of over 90%. The application of green methanol can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 90%, while simultaneously cutting nitrogen oxide emissions by 60% and sulfur oxide emissions by 99%. The other four sister ships in the series are also under concurrent construction and are expected to be put into operation one after another by May 2026.
Xiamen Xiangyu Shipbuilding’s New-Generation Green Bulk Carrier Wins Classification Society Certification
Recently, the independently developed “Jixiang” II 64,500 DWT bulk carrier by Xiamen Xiangyu Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co., Ltd. successfully obtained Approval in Principle (AIP) certificates issued by Lloyd’s Register (LR) and Bureau Veritas (BV). This achievement marks a solid step forward for Xiangyu Shipbuilding in the field of independent ship R&D and technical certification, and also provides a practical and environmentally friendly equipment option for the global bulk carrier market.
Aligned with the latest environmental regulations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the ship model takes green, energy-saving and high-efficiency as its core design principles. Without altering the ship’s main dimensions, it has achieved a significant increase in cargo capacity (approximately 700 deadweight tons) through a series of refined and innovative arrangements, including the addition of a valve compartment, optimization of the direction of bottom piers, adjustment of the double bottom structure layout of cargo holds and the design of fairleads. This effectively improves the economic efficiency of a single voyage under the same fuel consumption conditions.
