Recently, Jianglong Shipbuilding successfully signed a contract for two 70-meter high-speed cargo ships for the Dongguan Air Express Center of Hong Kong International Airport. As the core equipment for the world’s first cross-border sea-air intermodal project with “direct access to the airside of the airport,” these ships, with their highly adaptable, safe, and efficient technical design, will facilitate the implementation of this innovative logistics model, opening up a new “seamless sea-air direct connection” channel for cross-border logistics in the Greater Bay Area.
To meet the requirements of the “Four Specialized” joint transport system (specialized ships + vehicles + containers + routes), Jianglong Shipbuilding, leveraging its extensive design and construction experience in high-speed passenger ships and ro-pax ferries, has deeply customized these vessels. The ship has an overall length of 69.8 meters, a beam of 16.2 meters, a depth of 4.5 meters, and a design draft of 2.7 meters. It is equipped with a twin-engine, twin-propeller, twin-rudder stern-type power system, complemented by a bow thruster and electro-hydraulically controlled flap rudders, ensuring flexible and precise maneuverability to easily adapt to the complex operating environment of inland waterways. With a design speed of 16 knots and an endurance of 50 hours, the ship meets the core needs of airport cargo for “fast transfer and high efficiency,” providing efficient transport capacity support for the world’s pioneering “airside direct connection” model.
In terms of cargo carrying capacity, the ship is custom-designed for the “multi-category, high-demand” characteristics of cross-border sea-air intermodal cargo. The main deck can carry 55 customized containers measuring 13716×2580×3500mm, compatible with dangerous goods containers, refrigerated containers, as well as oversized and bulk cargo. It enables the entire chain’s efficient connection of “completing procedures in Dongguan – direct loading onto the ship – direct loading onto aircraft at the airside of Hong Kong Airport,” breaking the limitations of the indirect “airport-port” connection in traditional sea-air intermodal transport.
As the “key carrier” of the world’s first cross-border sea-air intermodal system, the customized deck cargo ships built by Jianglong Shipbuilding not only demonstrate the company’s technical strength in the field of special vessels but also drive logistics model innovation through equipment innovation. In the future, the company will utilize digital design and intelligent construction technologies to ensure project delivery, continuously empowering the construction of the Bay Area’s transportation network with professional shipbuilding solutions.
