On July 2, the inauguration ceremony of the Hainan Shipping Environmental Protection Base and a client signing symposium were held in Macun, Chengmai. The operation of this project marks a leap forward in Hainan Free Trade Port’s capacity for ship pollution control.
Invested and constructed by Hainan COSCO SHIPPING Environmental Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of COSCO SHIPPING Group, the base is a concrete initiative by the group to support national ecological civilization efforts.
As Hainan’s first specialized facility for treating ship water pollutants, the project will resolve the long-standing challenge of transporting and disposing of ship pollutants outside the province. With an annual processing capacity of 30,000 tons, it will strongly support the implementation of the *Hainan Ship Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations*, completing the “ship-port-plant” governance loop and providing a “Hainan solution” for government-enterprise collaboration in tackling environmental issues.
Zhang Yong, Deputy General Manager of COSCO SHIPPING Group, stated that the group firmly implements Xi Jinping’s ecological civilization philosophy, making green and low-carbon development a core priority. Moving forward, the group will explore pilot projects for “decarbonized shipping corridors,” jointly establish a ship environmental protection database, and deepen research collaborations. It will also study leveraging the advantages of underground CO₂ storage resources in the Fushan Depression of Chengmai County, Hainan, to build the world’s first CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage) base for shipping vessels, supporting the green, low-carbon, and circular development of the industry.
The 40-acre base includes storage tank areas, sewage treatment equipment zones, and service facilities in its first phase. Future expansions will enhance capabilities for treating pollutants such as desulfurization tower wastewater and ballast tank water, aiming to create a “comprehensive, one-stop” benchmark for shipping environmental protection and a demonstration window for ecological governance in Hainan Free Trade Port.
During the event, the Hainan Ship Pollution Prevention Association issued a prevention initiative. HuanKe (Hainan Environmental Technology) signed joint R&D agreements for shipping environmental technologies and memorandums of cooperation on pollutant treatment with research institutions and enterprises, launching a collaborative innovation mechanism integrating “environmental protection + technology + industry.”
COSCO SHIPPING Group continues to drive the aggregation of shipping resources in Hainan, supporting the Free Trade Port’s development with green shipping. This project is not only a key part of the group’s strategy to help Hainan build a regional shipping hub but also a milestone in the province’s progress toward becoming a “zero-carbon shipping demonstration zone.” It will inject strong green momentum into the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port and the nation’s maritime and shipping power goals.
Hainan Vice Governor Gu Gang and COSCO SHIPPING Group Deputy General Manager Zhang Yong jointly witnessed the base’s launch. Over 70 representatives from the Hainan provincial government, maritime authorities, transportation and ecology departments, research institutions, and related enterprises attended the event.
