On March 25, China’s first green intelligent ship R&D studio initiated by China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation Wuhan Second Ship Design Institute (719 Institute) was inaugurated in Yichang City, Hubei Province.
The studio is dedicated to the R&D and design of demonstration ships, the application and promotion of special ship types, the training of ship talents and the extension and expansion of the industrial chain. This studio is the first of its kind in China, jointly established by scientific research institutes, universities and ship inspection organizations, which fills the gaps in the industry. In the context of global energy conservation and emission reduction and China’s implementation of the “carbon peak” and “carbon neutral” strategy, its establishment has an important demonstration significance and leading role.
At the unveiling ceremony, the first batch of 37 demonstration ship types in 6 categories, such as tourist passenger ships, cargo ships, passenger ferries, ro-ro ships, engineering ships and official boats were released as well as six industry-university-research cooperation projects were signed. The landing of these projects will promote shipbuilding enterprises, shipping enterprises of Yichang City, from the front-end design, research and development to the back-end construction, application of information sharing, building a complete ecological chain of green and intelligent shipbuilding industry.
Yichang is the most important shipbuilding cluster in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River. In recent years, on average, a new ship is built and launched in Yichang every three days, of which the construction of new energy ships accounts for more than half of Hubei Province.
The next 10 to 20 years is a critical period for the development of green intelligent ship industry. The green intelligent ship R&D studio will bring new momentum to the development of green intelligent ship, help to build a green intelligent transportation inland water transportation model, and strongly support the development of Yangtze River Economic Belt.