News from August 18: At the 2026 China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) State-Owned Enterprise Open Day and Brand Promotion Week, it was revealed that the second domestically built large cruise ship, "Adora City," is scheduled for delivery in November this year, with its maiden voyage season set to depart from the Guangzhou Nansha International Cruise Home Port. According to CSSC's Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, the construction of "Adora City" utilized over 32,000 tons of marine steel plates, a significant portion of which consists of recycled steel, enabling a closed-loop waste recycling system. Moreover, during the construction process, a complete record of the ship's carbon emissions was maintained, which will be incorporated into the full-ship carbon footprint assessment. This fills a gap in the low-carbon data standards for the domestic cruise industry. Currently, Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding's comprehensive industrial solid waste utilization rate has surpassed 98%.
The traditional shipbuilding industry is a "carbon-intensive" heavy industry, yet it simultaneously serves as a critical pillar for the global energy transition—LNG carriers, methanol vessels, wind turbine installation ships, and deep-sea equipment all originate from shipyards. This implies that a shipyard's own green manufacturing capabilities not only determine the carbon footprint of the industry but also influence the supply quality of global clean energy equipment. Low-carbon, green manufacturing represents the "ticket" for the shipbuilding industry's future viability. How can the industry achieve a green and low-carbon transformation? Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding has provided its own answer.
In January 2026, Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding's Energy and Carbon Management Center was officially launched and put into operation. Through digitalization, it comprehensively enhances energy management and carbon control efficiency, integrating real-time monitoring, data analysis, and early warning and prediction. This enables full-cycle management of energy sources such as water, electricity, and gas, breaking down data silos to make energy consumption transparent and traceable. Big data analytics precisely identify energy-saving opportunities, while the system monitors anomalies 24/7 and provides instant alerts for threshold exceedances, achieving preventive measures. In the future, the platform will further deepen centralized operations and maintenance capabilities, gradually deploying unmanned inspection equipment and establishing a standardized system for carbon emission data accounting.
Additionally, Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding officially initiated the second phase of its photovoltaic project in 2024. Since November 2022, the distributed solar projects have cumulatively generated 6.33 million kWh of green electricity, reducing standard coal consumption by approximately 782 tons annually. At present, about 7% of the plant's electricity consumption is sourced from photovoltaics. In terms of resource recycling, in September 2024, Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding's reclaimed water utilization project was completed and commissioned. It draws reclaimed water meeting Class A Level 1 discharge standards from the adjacent Zhuyuan Phase IV wastewater treatment plant, which is used for ship ballast water, plant landscaping irrigation, and equipment commissioning cooling. The project is expected to save 700,000 tons of fresh water annually, equivalent to the water volume of 370 standard swimming pools.
Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding also continues to intensify its research and development of green vessel designs. The company's independently developed three green ship designs—the 102,000 cubic meter Very Large Ethane Carrier (VLEC), the 14,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container ship, and the 300,000-ton ammonia dual-fuel Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC)—have received Approval in Principle (AIP) certificates from Lloyd's Register (LR). Among these, the VLEC is equipped with a self-developed hydrodynamic energy-saving device and incorporates multiple emission reduction technologies such as an ethane dual-fuel main engine and shaft generator. The 14,000 TEU container ship includes ammonia-ready provisions, allowing for rapid conversion to ammonia fuel. The 300,000-ton VLCC utilizes zero-carbon ammonia fuel as its power source. Furthermore, the company's independently designed 10,400 TEU methanol dual-fuel large container ship has also obtained AIP certification from Lloyd's Register.
To date, Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding has delivered multiple green vessels, including the world's largest 10,800-car LNG dual-fuel car carrier, an 8,600-car unit dual-fuel car carrier, and LNG dual-fuel Capesize bulk carriers. Its independently developed and designed latest-generation Aframax product tanker is equipped with a hydrodynamic energy-saving duct, anti-vortex fins, and a green, environmentally friendly power system, achieving internationally advanced levels in comprehensive hydrodynamic performance and energy efficiency.
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