The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) calls for building a modern industrial system, consolidating the foundation of the real economy, and accelerating high-level technological self-reliance and self-strength to lead the development of new quality productive forces. These goals have provided clear direction for industrial transformation and upgrading across various sectors, while injecting strong momentum into high-quality development.

The Global Times has launched a new column titled “Chinese Industry Close-up.” Focusing on the creation of a new development pattern, the column will delve deeply into vivid examples of industrial transformation and upgrading across various sectors, aiming to showcase China’s innovation-driven and high-quality development. This installment focuses on China’s shipbuilding boom.

At a shipbuilding area in East China, a vast industrial panorama is taking shape, painted in steel and lit by the flash of welders’ sparks. This is a vivid microcosm of China’s shipbuilding industry, which has long held the world’s top spot in three core indicators.

What is the secret behind China’s global leadership in shipbuilding? With this question, a Global Times reporter recently visited Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) Co, Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co, and several marine research institutes under the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) to seek answers.

In every shipyard visited, towering gantry cranes pierced the clouds; block fabrication workshops roared with machinery as sparks flew; giant hulls took shape in dry docks; and trucks shuttled materials nonstop. Each yard had orders extending at least to 2030.

“We currently hold orders for over 100 ships, totaling more than 23 million deadweight tons, with some delivery dates scheduled as far out as 2031,” said Ou Chuanjie, Party secretary and chairman of CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Co.

The shipyard leads the world in both deliveries of very large ore carriers and the order backlog for large bulk carriers. As the world’s largest shipbuilding group, CSSC has seen steady growth in key economic indicators this year, with profit margins hitting their best level since the group’s restructuring.

This positive trend reflects the overall strong performance of China’s shipbuilding industry. Data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released on July 23 showed that in the first half of 2026, China’s completed shipbuilding volume, new orders, and order backlog accounted for 62.2 percent, 82.3 percent, and 71.2 percent of the global share, respectively, maintaining a leading position across all three major indicators.

During interviews across several days, terms like “world’s No.1,” “far ahead,” “the only one in the world,” and “breaking technology monopolies” appeared frequently. Behind these words are the giant vessels taking shape and breakthroughs in key technologies – the true source of confidence and strength in Chinese shipbuilding.

Zheng Shuangyan from Jiangnan Shipyard told the Global Times that its self‑developed BrilliancE II aluminum B‑type containment system has secured US Coast Guard and American Bureau of Shipping certifications, a passport for global energy‑shipping access.

“Keeping LNG at ‑163 C poses huge challenges, especially severe welding deformation for aluminum alloys. Jiangnan Shipyard built a dedicated production line with friction‑stir welding to address the issue. The breakthrough ends foreign monopoly and elevates China from a follower to a leader in high‑value gas‑carrier markets,” Zheng said.

Taking the ‘crown jewel’
No discussion of the Chinese shipbuilding industry’s rise is complete without mentioning the “crown jewel” CSSC has taken – large cruise ships. A single large cruise ship has over 25 million components and more than 100 onboard systems, far exceeding the complexity of ordinary merchant vessels. The design drawings alone contain over 1 terabyte of 3D model data for the entire ship.

Wei Shengsheng from Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding highlighted key vibration-noise reduction achievements for cruise ships. “Unlike ordinary passenger vessels, where cabin noise easily travels, cruise-ship designs ensure noise such as karaoke sounds stay inside cabins. To achieve this, engineers need to curb equipment-sourced vibration, block cross-deck vibration transfer, and optimize air-vent and interior-panel sound insulation,” Wei told the Global Times.

Wei said that large cruise ships demonstrate a country’s overall shipbuilding strength. While Adora Magic City delivered China’s first domestic cruise ship, ending Western dominance, the upcoming Adora Flora City, scheduled for delivery in November, demonstrates China’s ability to build large cruise ships systematically. It features larger tonnage and more cabins. Yet its construction time is cut by 8 months, efficiency is raised 20 percent, and design revisions are reduced by 85 percent. This shift from one-off development to serial construction proves China has acquired a proven, replicable cruise shipbuilding system, Wei said.

When constructing Adora Magic City, many key components and interior materials had to be imported because domestic supporting industries were not yet mature. For Adora Flora City, local enterprises got chances to carry out small‑batch trial applications of their products, Wei said.

“Just as domestically made large aircraft are gradually entering the global market, future domestically built large cruise ships will become another shining business card for China. China‑built cruise ships, with their unique competitive strengths, will offer brand‑new options for the world,” Wei said.

China is now the only country capable of building aircraft carriers, large cruise ships, and large LNG carriers, while its shipbuilding industry has ranked first globally in the three core indicators for 16 consecutive years. This leadership is not accidental; it is the inevitable result of accumulated systemic strength.

Magic tools’
Key technical support also comes from research institutes. Inside their facilities, cutting-edge equipment holds the secrets that enable giant vessels to sail far.

Zheng Jian from the 704 Research Institute told the Global Times that China has achieved full‑localization of high‑power podded propulsors after 20‑year‑long R&D.

Engineers ran thousands of simulations and model tests to tackle low‑noise and hydrodynamic hurdles. Rising demand from cruise and research vessels fuels further technical upgrades. Meanwhile, the CSSC 725 Research Institute has achieved domestic substitution for the printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE), a vital component for ship power and clean‑energy systems, breaking a long-standing foreign monopoly.

If technological breakthroughs are the first step, then harsh marine conditions are the ultimate test of reliability.

The Xiamen marine environmental test station, located on Dalipuyu Island in East China’s Fujian Province, is one of China’s earliest seawater test stations. Almost all ship materials and equipment must pass rigorous marine environment assessments here. The station features seawater test fields, tidal test fields, and atmospheric exposure test fields, covering nearly all real-world conditions.

“Here, materials undergo regular outdoor sun‑exposure tests. Glass‑framed equipment adjusts test racks automatically to follow the sun, collecting real‑world weather‑resistance data,” said Wang Jingjing from the State Key Laboratory of Marine Corrosion and Protection.

The floating‑raft testing area checks parts below a ship’s waterline. Preventing marine organisms from attaching to hulls is a major challenge. Seaweed and tubeworms increase water drag and slow ships down. Some test samples have been monitored for 15 years. These specimens build a strong technical base for China’s deep‑sea vessels.

Source: Global Times