On the morning of November 25th, the launching ceremony for the “Innovation 19,” the first domestically built 15,000-ton class methanol single-fuel powered river-sea direct bulk carrier constructed by Jiangsu Qinfeng Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., was held. As a significant milestone in the development of China’s green intelligent ships, the successful launching of this vessel marks a key breakthrough in the field of clean energy ships in China, setting a new benchmark for the low-carbon transformation of the shipping industry.
The launching ceremony garnered widespread attention from the industry, with over two hundred guests present from across the industrial chain, including partner companies, government regulatory departments, industry associations, scientific research institutions, and shipping enterprises. Leaders and experts from the Xiangshui County Riverside Economic Development Zone, the Waterborne Transport Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport, the Clean Energy Vehicles and Vessels Branch of the China Communications and Transportation Association, the Global Methanol Association, the Yangtze River Maritime Safety Administration, the Lianyungang Maritime Safety Administration, the Lianyungang Office of China Classification Society, the Wuhan Plan Approval Center of China Classification Society, the Port Affairs Management Bureau of Ningbo Economic and Technological Development Zone, the Port and Shipping Management Center of Beilun District, Ningbo City, and the Anhui Provincial Shipping Chamber of Commerce attended the event to witness this historic moment.
Core partners from the industrial chain, including Zhejiang Seaport Financial Leasing Co., Ltd., the 711 Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited, Chongqing Gearbox Co., Ltd., and Zhejiang Hailida Environmental Technology Co., Ltd., gathered together, demonstrating the entire industrial chain’s firm confidence in and collaborative synergy for the development of green shipping.
The “Innovation 19” was independently researched, developed, designed, and funded for construction by Wuhan Innovation River-Sea Transportation Co., Ltd. It is the first ship in the first batch of methanol single-fuel powered river-sea direct vessels built domestically, with a total of five vessels being constructed in this batch. This ship type has an overall length of 129.70 meters, a molded breadth of 22.60 meters, and a molded depth of 10.20 meters, specifically tailored for river-sea direct operations.
The “Innovation 19” is equipped with a completely independently developed CS8L21M methanol single-fuel engine, adopting advanced methanol direct injection technology. It has successfully overcome several technical bottlenecks, such as high-efficiency clean combustion and corrosion resistance of key components. This engine model has a rated power of 1600 kilowatts. While maintaining power performance comparable to traditional diesel engines, it achieves a methanol substitution rate of over 90%. Using green methanol can reduce CO2 emissions by over 90%, while simultaneously reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by 60% and sulfur oxide emissions by 99%.
Yuan Hou’an, Chairman of Wuhan Innovation River-Sea Transportation Co., Ltd., stated in his speech: “The successful launching of the ‘Innovation 19’ is another vivid practice and key breakthrough for our company on the path of implementing a green development strategy. Since the ‘Jiangxia’ ship pioneered a new model of river-sea direct transport in 1997, we have cumulatively developed sixteen ship types and built forty-six green ships. Today, the ‘Innovation 19’ leads us into a new era of green shipping. We will continue to drive the industry’s low-carbon transformation through technological innovation.”
The successful construction of the “Innovation 19” benefited from a complete industrial chain collaborative innovation system. From the initial design concept for methanol-powered vessels proposed by Wuhan Innovation River-Sea Transportation Co., Ltd., to the completion of the power system R&D by the 711 Research Institute, the provision of transmission system support by Chongqing Gearbox Co., Ltd., the assurance of the methanol supply system by Zhejiang Hailida Environmental Technology Co., Ltd., and the sufficient supply of methanol fuel by China Marine Bunker Co., Ltd., particularly with the financial support from Zhejiang Seaport Financial Leasing Co., Ltd.—all parties worked in close cooperation to advance the entire process of China’s methanol-powered vessels from technological research and development to industrial implementation.
Meanwhile, the other four sister ships in this series are also under simultaneous construction and are expected to be put into operation successively before May 2026. In the next step, Qinfeng Shipbuilding will continue to advance the construction of a green fleet, researching and building more types of methanol single-fuel powered seagoing vessels, further expanding the application scenarios of clean energy in the shipping sector, and contributing “Wuhan Innovation” strength to the green transformation and high-quality development of China’s shipping industry.
