Thriving by the sea

Liaoning province has historically been an important base for China's shipbuilding industry. The country's first 10,000-ton ship, first drilling platform, and first aircraft carrier were all produced in Dalian.

After more than a century of development, the shipbuilding and marine equipment industry in Dalian has become a national leader in terms of industrial strength, research and development and industrial cooperation capabilities.

Major shipyards in Dalian are already operating at full capacity after a strong start to the year.

DSIC recently announced the signing of a contract with NBP, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan's NYK Line, for the construction of up to four 33,000-deadweight-ton deck transport vessels.

The vessels, slated for delivery in 2027, will be designed for transporting oversized modular equipment, and have a wide deck and high-load capacity to efficiently serve offshore wind, petrochemical modules, and other mega-cargo logistics, according to Xinde Marine News.

"This order underscores international trust in China's shipbuilding prowess and opens new avenues for DSIC in Japan's premium vessel market. We're committed to delivering excellence with precision," He Xu, DSIC deputy general manager, said at the signing ceremony, Xinde reported.

Toshiro Hasegawa, NBP's module transport division general manager, said: "DSIC's engineering strength, proven track record, and dedication made them the ideal partner. These vessels will elevate our competitiveness and advance sustainable global logistics."

Modernization drive

In recent years, Dalian has promoted the modernization of the city's growth through coordinated development of shipbuilding and marine equipment.

In 2024, the value of ship exports from Dalian Port reached 18.79 billion yuan, an increase of 28.3 percent year-on-year, Dalian Customs data shows.

"Dalian was born by the sea and thrives because of the sea. The shipbuilding and marine equipment industry has grown together with the city," said Xiong Maoping, Party chief of Dalian.

The city has formed a complete industrial system integrating shipbuilding with repairs, support, technical research and testing, he said.

Construction of a world-class high-tech shipbuilding and high-end marine equipment manufacturing base can also be leveraged to promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and to cultivate and development of strategic emerging industries, Xiong said.

Dalian will actively adapt to the trend of green development in the shipbuilding industry, layout large-scale ocean ships and deep-sea equipment industrial chains according to local conditions, and enhance the design and construction capabilities of high-value-added ship types and equipment, he said.

In 2024, Dalian's shipbuilding and marine equipment industry achieved an annual output value exceeding 60 billion yuan for the first time, said Qiu Baolin, deputy mayor of the city.

Breakthroughs were made in the research and development of new ships such as new high-speed passenger and roll-on-roll-off ships, he added.

A number of firsts, both domestically and internationally, were achieved. The world's first LNG dual-fuel ultra-large crude oil ship and methanol dual-fuel low-speed diesel engine were both successfully delivered.

At the beginning of this year, the city's three-year action plan for the shipbuilding and marine industry was formulated. A total of 18 policies were proposed, with four regions to promote specific support measures to boost the industry's development.

The Supporting Policies for the High-Quality Development of Dalian's Shipbuilding and Marine Equipment Industry was released at the February conference.

"In 2025, Dalian is expected to deliver 84 ships, with shipbuilding completions reaching 8.8 million deadweight tons, and the output value is expected to grow by over 20 percent," said Qiu.

"By 2030, we aim to build Dalian into an international first-class shipbuilding and marine equipment industry base," he said.