Green ships enter the fast track of development

Take the "Three Gorges Hydrogen Boat 1", which completed its maiden voyage not long ago, as an example, the ship is a steel-aluminum composite structure, with a passenger quota of 80 people, mainly using hydrogen fuel cell power system, rated output power of 500 kW, the maximum speed of 28 km/h, the cruising speed of 20 km/h, and the cruising range of up to 200 km. It is estimated that compared with traditional oil-powered ships, the "Three Gorges Hydrogen Boat 1" is expected to replace 103.16 tons of fuel oil per year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 343.67 tons.

"Three Gorges Hydrogen Boat 1" energy supply station is located in the Three Gorges project downstream Yangjiwan dock "China Three Gorges green electric green hydrogen demonstration station", which is the first inland dock type hydrogen hydrogenation integrated station, the use of Three Gorges power station issued by the clean electric energy electrolytic water hydrogen production, hydrogen through compression, storage, refueling and other links, directly supply hydrogen energy ships.

"Water transport itself has the comparative advantages of large transport capacity, less pollution, low energy consumption, green and low-carbon aspects. As the main transport equipment in the water transport industry, the improvement of its green level will further highlight this advantage." The person in charge of the water transport bureau of the Ministry of Transport said.

Up to now, more than 460 LNG-powered vessels have been developed in inland rivers across the country. Shanghai, Jiangsu, Hubei and other provinces and cities have introduced relevant policies to encourage the development of electric ships. Cosco Shipping Group and other enterprises are actively carrying out the pilot of electric container ships in the power exchange mode, and methanol, hydrogen fuel cell and other power ships are also in the pilot development.

The improvement of the docking shore power system has enabled more ships to use green energy. In the first half of the year, the use of shore power in ports and water service areas in 11 provinces and cities of the Yangtze River Economic Belt exceeded 50 million KWH. Since 2021, nearly 13,000 ships have been renovated, including cruise ships, commercial vehicle ro-ro ships and container ships, which have achieved full coverage of electric facilities.

"As a major shipping country in the world, China should seize the key window period from 2020 to 2030 to accelerate the breakthrough of the core technology of green ships, accelerate the development of maritime power, and lay a good foundation for the industrialization of green ships." The person in charge of the Maritime Bureau of the Ministry of Transport said.

Support the development of relevant technologies

Build a green transportation system

Benefiting from the increasingly perfect legal system and the continuous progress of construction technology, China's green ships have entered the rapid development channel in recent years. However, overall, the current scale of green ships is still small, and there is still a long way to go to fully market-oriented, large-scale and industrialization.

"The high cost of construction and operation is one reason." The person in charge of the water transport Bureau of the Ministry of Transport said that from the research situation, the construction cost of green ships is much higher than that of fuel oil ships. For example, LNG-powered ships cost nearly 40% more than new diesel-powered ships of the same tonnage. And affected by market fluctuations, LNG prices are higher than fuel oil, to a certain extent, dampened the enthusiasm of shipowners.

"Some green ship technologies are not mature in general." The relevant person in charge of the Maritime Administration of the Ministry of Transport said that some green ship technologies are not mature on the whole, such as ammonia fuel ships with good application prospects, but ammonia fuel engines are still in the research and development test period. In addition, global shipping needs coordinated development, long service life of ships and other factors, the choice and replacement of green fuel still need a long time.

However, whether it is to promote the high-quality development of the water transport industry or accelerate the construction of a green transportation system, green and low-carbon has become an inevitable trend in the development of the ship shipping industry.

"In the next step, we should speed up the improvement of technical standards for the development of green ships, carry out demonstration applications and commercial promotion, and actively strive for relevant fiscal and tax preferential policies to support and guide shipping enterprises to accelerate the construction and transformation of green ships." The relevant person in charge of the Maritime Bureau of the Ministry of Transport said that at the same time, increase the key technology and equipment research of green ships, improve the relevant service supporting facilities, and provide efficient and convenient operation services for green ships, so as to better seize the international competitive advantage of green ships and accelerate the development of China's maritime power.