Shandong Xineng Shipyard to make "Europe's first single"

　　The spring chill is biting, and at Shandong New Energy Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "New Energy Shipbuilding") by the White Horse River, 24 construction berths are operating at full capacity. In the slipway area, under the hundred-meter-long giant ship skeleton, welding sparks cascade like a waterfall. Nine hundred-meter-high gantry cranes swing their long arms, hoisting and assembling the massive ship sections.

　　On slipway No. 2, the "steel giant beast" is about to take shape—this is the first vessel New Energy Shipbuilding has custom-built for the world shipping giant, France's CMA CGM Group.

　　"This 182TEU pure electric-powered container ship is our 'stepping stone' to break into the international high-end market," said the veteran technician who is currently testing equipment on-site. At present, the main hull of the ship is about to be completed, with plans to launch in March and enter the outfitting phase on the water. A few months later, it will be delivered to CMA CGM in France and put into operation on Vietnam's inland green route. According to estimates, equipped with replaceable container-style batteries from CATL, the ship can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 778 tons annually.

　　"CMA CGM extended an olive branch to us just one year after we established the factory, and this trust is an international endorsement of China's new energy ship technology," said Meng Xianghao, the international business manager of New Energy Shipbuilding.

　　To meet the stringent standards for EU exports, New Energy Shipbuilding innovatively adopted the modern shipbuilding model of "hull-outfitting-painting integration," enabling coordinated operations of hull construction, outfitting, and painting at the slipway stage. Additionally, the intelligent navigation system integrating 5G and Beidou technology allows the automation level of the engine room to reach the highest grade for domestic inland vessels.

　　As the global shipping industry transitions to green intelligence, New Energy Shipbuilding's international orders continue to increase. In the African market, New Energy Shipbuilding has explored a new segmented construction model of "modular construction + off-site assembly." The first 2000-ton bulk carrier "Jinhang No. 1" built for Zijin Mining Group was successfully launched in Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania, at the end of November 2025, 54 days ahead of the contractual deadline. To date, the company has reached multiple cooperation agreements with clients such as CMA CGM and Zijin Mining, successfully exporting new energy vessels to Vietnam, Tanzania, Cuba, Zambia, and other countries.

　　Facing the continuous market demand, New Energy Shipbuilding is steadily increasing its production capacity.

　　"The second phase of the project has fully commenced construction, with plans to start production in 2026," said Chen Weiqiang, Deputy Director of the Infrastructure Equipment Department at New Energy Shipbuilding. Once completed, the project will have the capacity to produce 200 inland new energy transport vessels, 40 cruise ships and yachts, and repair 50 ships annually. (Meng Yi)