Yichang builds flotilla of new ships in 2022

By Zeng Lei, Yichang International Communication Studio

Yichang’s shipbuilders were busy in 2022. They turned out 125 new ships, with a total deadweight of 60,000 tonnes, according to the Yichang Port and Waterway Construction and Maintenance Center. What’s more, of the 50 “new energy ships” built in Hubei province in 2022, 28 were constructed in Yichang.

The city has also installed shore electricity charging facilities for ships and estimates that these facilities will cut fossil fuel usage by more than 9,000 tons a year, eliminate almost 28,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions and also reduce annual costs by 15.7 million yuan (US$2.27 million).

Yichang Port and Waterway Construction and Maintenance Center is responsible for the city's shipping, waterway, maritime and port management, the management and protection of port shoreline resources and the city's ship inspection work.

In 2023, the center will join hands with Wuhan University of Technology, Yichang Shipbuilding Industrial Park, local research institutes and other leading organizations to establish a "new energy ship research and development studio". It will focus on solving the technical challenges of pure electric propulsion of freight ships, developing new types of energy ship for different scenarios, and helping Yichang's shipbuilding industry become a smart, green manufacturing industry.

The city plans to cultivate three to five key enterprises in the smart and green shipbuilding sector and make Yichang an important resource hub for the industry.