150,000-ton intelligent fishery large-scale aquaculture vessel “Guoxin No. 1 2-2”
The Thinker with an Attitude
On the morning of the 15th, the 150,000-ton intelligent fishery large-scale aquaculture vessel “Guoxin No. 1 2-2”, invested and constructed by Qingdao Guoxin Group, was officially delivered and commenced operations at the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) Beihai Shipyard. This vessel achieves in-depth upgrades in four major systems: feeding, processing, deep-water intake, and mature fish unloading. It will also conduct the first year-round continuous aquaculture trial for salmonids on an industrial vessel, which is expected to address the shortcomings in China’s salmonid industry and achieve industrial transformation and upgrading.
Just a few days prior, the world’s largest mining project under construction – the Simandou Iron Ore Project in Guinea, Africa – was officially completed and began production, leading to a significant increase in demand for bulk carriers to transport the iron ore. As a landmark project of China-Guinea mining cooperation, Chinese companies are accelerating orders for bulk carriers, with investment in ships potentially exceeding ten billion yuan.
Qingdao is a significant construction site for these orders. Reports indicate that in September 2025 alone, the bulk shipping company under the central state-owned enterprise COSCO Shipping Group placed an order for four 210,000-ton Capesize bulk carriers at CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.
Marine equipment manufacturing is an advantageous industry within Qingdao’s “4+4+2” modern marine industrial system. Since the beginning of this year, Qingdao has seen numerous orders and deliveries in shipbuilding, demonstrating a vigorous development trend in the marine economy.
Simultaneously, adapting to new situations and changes in global trade, Qingdao’s shipbuilding industry is also accelerating its shift towards innovation and green development, entering a critical window period for quality improvement and upgrading.
Order Backlog Extends to 2029
In the first three quarters of this year, China’s new orders for seagoing vessels, shipbuilding completions, and order backlogs, measured in compensated gross tons (CGT), accounted for 63.5%, 47.3%, and 58.6% of the global market share, respectively. The value of new offshore equipment orders, delivered orders, and order backlogs accounted for 60.0%, 50.8%, and 61.9% of the international market share, respectively, maintaining a global leading position.
This data disclosed by the Ministry of Natural Resources is an intuitive reflection of the development of China’s marine shipbuilding industry.
In Shandong Province, which is deeply advancing its “Marine Strong Province” strategy, a series of major breakthroughs have been made in high-tech ships and high-end offshore equipment, successfully forging a number of “national heavy equipment.” Qingdao, thriving on the sea, is a prime example of the continuous development and advancement of the province’s shipbuilding industry.
CMIC Qingdao Shipyard is deploying the construction of three main ship types, building a leading Chinese marine equipment manufacturing and /conversion base. The first ship in a series of 82,000 deadweight ton bulk carriers built for a Norwegian shipowner was delivered;
The Qingdao Haixiwan Ship and Offshore Industry Base has formed an industrial chain focused on ship /building and marine engineering equipment manufacturing, supported by low-speed diesel engines, crankshafts, deck machinery, marine electrical machinery, and electric propulsion systems, with scale effects increasingly apparent;
Qingdao Haixiwan Ship and Offshore Industry Base
The underwater observation and monitoring system equipment from Qingdao Jari Industrial Control Technology Co., Ltd. can assist /unberthing system equipment to achieve precise and safe berth control, and its shipborne big data acquisition terminal constructs a core hub for ship data value;
Driven by the super-cycle of ship renewal and replacement, Qingdao’s shipbuilding industry is ushering in huge development opportunities.
Taking the West Coast New Area as an example, in the first eight months of this year, enterprises above the designated size in the ship and offshore industry chain of the New Area achieved an output value of 26.25 billion yuan. Among them, enterprises above the designated size in the Haixiwan Ship and Offshore Industry Base achieved an output value of 17.628 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12%, indicating continued stable growth in the industrial chain.
Currently, enterprises within the base are operating at full capacity, with key enterprises like Beihai Shipbuilding and CSSC Engine having order backlogs scheduled until 2029.
Green Ships Sailing Globally
On November 10, CSSC Beihai Shipbuilding delivered the first 319,000-ton ammonia-ready very large crude carrier (VLCC) to a Belgian shipowner in Qingdao’s West Coast New Area, marking the first ship in a series of five orders.
This vessel has reserved space, piping, and control system wiring for future configuration of two 6,000 cubic meter ammonia fuel storage tanks, possessing advanced capabilities for upgrading to use clean ammonia fuel.
The 319,000-ton ammonia-ready VLCC delivered to the Belgian shipowner
This represents the most notable new characteristic of ship orders in recent years – the demand for green and intelligent features.
Currently, the ship and offshore industry is in a critical stage of transformation towards high-end, digital, intelligent, and green low-carbon development. The application of alternative fuels and new energy-saving technologies has become a primary option for newbuild ships.
CSSC Beihai Shipbuilding commenced construction on the first ship of its newly designed GuaibaMax 325,000-ton methanol dual-fuel very large ore carriers (VLOCs);
CSSC Engine is focusing on the application of new green fuels, deploying production capacity for LNG, methanol, and ammonia-fueled low-speed marine engines;
The 6000 TEU container ship type from CMIC Qingdao Shipyard is equipped with an /diesel dual-fuel propulsion system, allowing intelligent switching based on voyage requirements, featuring low energy consumption and environmentally friendly emissions…
Standing at this new juncture, Qingdao’s shipbuilding enterprises are promptly “adjusting their course” for quality improvement and upgrading, continuously enhancing industrial innovation and competitiveness.
Qingdao is also pooling industry resources, anchoring industrial demands, promoting technological breakthroughs, realizing demonstration applications, and driving the shipbuilding manufacturing industry towards green and intelligent development.
In May of this year, the GHG Green Ship Innovation Joint Center was established in Qingdao. It aims to create a source of green ship technology, break through key system integration bottlenecks, and subsequently build a ship lifecycle carbon management system, leading the development of industry standards.
Quality Upgrade Towards High-End
During this critical window period for quality improvement and upgrading, how can Qingdao better build an internationally leading ship and offshore industry base?
The answer lies within the industrial chain.
CMIC Qingdao Shipyard
The ship and offshore industry is a typical capital, technology, and labor-intensive industry, characterized by long order-to-delivery cycles and pronounced cyclical lag. By focusing on key areas and key links, and further eliminating constraints, the shipbuilding manufacturing industry can advance to a higher level.
For instance, the West Coast New Area is drawing on the experience and pathways of cluster-based and park-based industrial development to further enhance the agglomeration level and efficiency of the Haixiwan base, creating a new ship and offshore industrial system with complete supporting facilities and clear tiers, and improving the level of high-end, independent, digital, green, and international development.
The New Area recently also specifically established the Haixiwan Ship and Offshore Industry Base Joint Conference, utilizing a unified mechanism, a common platform, and a professional team to strengthen services for enterprises and institutions within Haixiwan.
Quality improvement and upgrading are reflected not only in new directions and trends but also in specific construction processes.
On November 12, the CSSC Beihai Shipbuilding Section Construction Capacity Enhancement and Intelligent Transformation Project commenced, which will construct intelligent cutting equipment production lines, automated panel line lines, and curved section production lines. Just ten days prior, its unmanned intelligent steel stockyard renovation project was also launched, which is expected to increase scheduling efficiency by over 50% upon implementation.
With multiple forces joining together, sailing into the deep blue. Qingdao’s shipbuilding manufacturing industry is expanding from traditional manufacturing upstream and downstream into design, sales, operation, and maintenance services, accelerating its advancement towards the high end of the industrial chain.
