The Red Boat Reflects the Original Aspiration, the Azure Writes Responsibility — China Classification Society Zhejiang Branch Guides High-Quality Development with High-Quality Party Building

In early autumn, the morning light at Ningbo Zhoushan Port leaps out over the sea, spreading across the vast blue waves. Zhu Tongwen, a party representative of Zhejiang Province and ship surveyor from the Zhejiang Branch of China Classification Society (CCS), climbs the gangway onto the deck, seizing the brief port docking window to conduct inspection work… Similar figures are seen shuttling between the islands and seas. This group of ship inspectors, steadfast at the frontline of the East China Sea, safeguards the safety of maritime navigation with their technical expertise, and works hard to support the dream of strengthening the nation through marine development.

The Zhejiang spirit of "truth-seeking and pragmatism, integrity and harmony, openness and strength," has always inspired the people of Zhejiang to strive diligently and innovate boldly, as well as motivating those in the transportation sector within the region. As a unit stationed in Zhejiang from China Classification Society, the Zhejiang Branch steadfastly keeps in mind the earnest instructions of "working pragmatically, staying at the forefront, and standing at the tide’s peak." They prioritize pragmatism and diligence while actively exploring practical paths to achieve high-quality Party building that promotes high-quality development. Through concrete actions that perpetuate the “Red Boat Spirit,” the branch is transforming the advantages of Party building into service efficiency and developmental momentum.

Using Red Ideals to Forge the Foundation and Chart the Forward Course

Adhering to the Party's leadership is the fundamental guarantee for driving high-quality development. The Zhejiang Branch consistently integrates Party building with business planning, deployment, advancement, and evaluation. The branch embeds political development into every aspect of ship inspection responsibilities, focusing on serving national strategies, ensuring maritime safety, supporting the resilient growth of marine transport, promoting smart and green water transportation development, and enabling industrial upgrades as the core goals of its Party-building work. This has formed a rigorous system where the Party committee provides direction, oversees overall plans, and ensures implementation; the Party branches manage ground-level efforts, tackle challenges, and drive advancements; and Party members lead by example, setting benchmarks and taking on significant responsibilities. All these efforts aim for higher-quality services to support regional industrial development, assist in Zhejiang’s shipbuilding industry's transformation and upgrading, and promote green shipping development.

In July this year, the Zhejiang Branch visited the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Marine Economy Development to exchange ideas and presented recommendations aimed at accelerating the transformation of shipbuilding in Zhoushan and promoting the integration of shipbuilding and maritime industries in Zhejiang. These recommendations were the results of implementing grassroots initiatives, conducting research at shipyards and shipping companies, listening to industry feedback, understanding developmental needs, and aligning with local economic planning. To improve inspection service efficiency in the Yangtze River Delta region, the Zhejiang Branch also collaborated with Shanghai and Jiangsu branches by leveraging collective Party-building efforts to establish a synergy mechanism for talent cultivation, technological research, and business promotion. Transitioning from “protecting one region” to “serving the whole,” the Zhejiang Branch is actively contributing to the high-quality development of the marine economy from its front-line position.

Implementing pilot tasks for building a transportation powerhouse is a key step to accelerate its construction. To assist with the "Innovation and Application of Ship Inspection Models" pilot task, the Zhejiang Branch, under the leadership of the CCS headquarters, leveraged its frontline inspection strengths, forming a technical task force to explore new technologies based on inspection practices. Innovations like self-developed drones, 5G technology, and intelligent image recognition were incorporated into the inspection process, significantly improving efficiency and reducing costs. By 2025, this pilot task passed the Ministry of Transport’s acceptance test and was rated as a highlighted achievement of the transportation powerhouse construction pilot program. In July 2026, two services involving carbon footprint certification and digital inspection participated in the "Digital Classification Society" pilot outcomes, showcasing the beneficial cycle of Party-led technology innovation and innovation-enabled business improvement.

Ensuring maritime transportation safety is a vital mission for ship inspectors. Leveraging Party member pioneer posts and responsibility zones, the Zhejiang Branch has established a 24/7 emergency response mechanism to ensure the seamless operation of vessels. Addressing passenger ferry safety, which is a key livelihood concern, the branch includes passenger ship safety inspections during peak travel periods as part of citizen service initiatives. During significant travel seasons like Spring Festival, May Day, and National Day, inspection teams are dispatched to examine high-speed ferries, roll-on/roll-off passenger ships, and river ferryboats under their jurisdiction. They also collaborate with local authorities to create a co-management mechanism for maritime safety, jointly building a robust maritime safety barrier and protecting the travel safety of the populace. These efforts express the Party members’ commitment to the principle of “People’s Transport Serving the People.”

Venturing into the Deep Blue: Pursuing Green and Intelligent Progress

Zhejiang is a pioneer in reform and opening up. Its bold innovative spirit continues to flourish under the inspiration of the Red Boat Spirit. Following the Ministry of Transport and CCS’s policy requirements for green shipping transformation and digital ship inspection construction, the Zhejiang Branch has made green and intelligent ship inspections the primary direction for Party-building-enabled business efforts. It established a technological innovation platform, continuously achieving breakthroughs in the areas of low-carbon shipping and digital inspection, accelerating the pace of green innovation.

From the country's first hundred-kilowatt-class marine hydrogen fuel cell power generation system to the first set of marine carbon capture systems using high-speed centrifugal decarbonization technology, a series of "firsts" have been certified here. This March, the Zhejiang Branch issued the nation’s first ship repair carbon footprint certificate to the "Harvest Sea" vessel from Zhoushan COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Co., Ltd.

A series of groundbreaking achievements represent not only the iteration and upgrading of technology but also the embodiment of Party-led innovation, with Party members spearheading challenges and empowering industries for green transformation.

At the end of 2025, the Zhejiang Branch awarded Ningbo Ocean Shipping’s "Xin Mingzhou 106" vessel with the world’s first “DDV” additional notation for digital ship inspection. In May this year, the Zhejiang Branch issued the "Declaration of Compliance with Ship Digital Inspection" for China’s first and the world’s largest pure electric, intelligent container vessel, the "Ningyuan Electric Kun." Through real-time data collection and analysis, ship surveyors can remotely monitor ship equipment status, achieve ship-shore state sharing, and conduct intelligent assessments, greatly reducing ship inspection waiting periods and operational costs. This provides a new technical path for managing ships across their lifecycle. It is also an accomplishment of the Zhejiang Branch's dedication to building a digital classification society, advancing ship intelligence inspection technologies, and applying them to practical scenarios.

Craftsmanship for Safety: Forging a Solid Team

How can Party building deeply integrate with and effectively promote business? The Zhejiang Branch is exploring answers in practice. The branch consistently enhances the political and organizational functions of grassroots Party organizations, pushing them to play a commanding role in challenging major projects and serving at the forefront of the industry chain. Its “Red Boat Leading, Harmony Across the Blue” Party-building brand is gradually gaining traction, forming a “Craftsmanship+” branch matrix.

"More united, more professional, more pragmatic, more efficient, more enthusiastic, more advanced"—this was the service commitment made by the Product Party Branch of the Zhejiang Branch upon its establishment. For 14 years, it has worked hand-in-hand with the shipbuilding accessory industry in Zhejiang, carving out a path of innovation in green technology, digitization, and self-reliance. It has also cultivated the “Craftsmanship & Red Chain” specialized Party branch. To address technical needs of small and micro enterprises under its jurisdiction, the product department established a designated assistance mechanism to aid in new product development, jointly research standards, and resolve new technological challenges with targeted strategies for individual companies. Using a red bond, it links the shipbuilding industry chain, safeguarding the high-quality development of industrial and supply chains.

"Bringing together different units with varied responsibilities strengthens service efficiency." In 2023, the Zhejiang Branch's Operations Party Branch collaborated with five organizations, including Ningbo Maritime Safety Administration, to launch the “Yonghai Pioneer” Party-building brand initiative. The membership has since expanded to seven organizations with nine Party branches, encompassing all management departments and service agencies related to ships. The initiative originated from Ningbo’s pilot launch of a "one vessel, multiple certifications handled in one go" administrative service reform, which significantly reduced operational costs for shipping companies and provided successful experiences for cross-agency and cross-sector collaboration in efficiently accomplishing tasks. In January 2026, this reform measure was included in the State Council Office’s "2026 Priority List for Key Matters in Efficient Task Handling."

Talent is the primary resource. The Zhejiang Branch Party Committee firmly adheres to the principle of Party-led talent cultivation, integrating workforce development into the core of Party-building efforts. They focus on fostering a culture of hard work and actively promote the growth of young talent in frontline roles. They implement a “multi-specialization” training plan, with nearly 40% of ship surveyors holding cross-disciplinary qualifications. The branch strives to cultivate an international talent pool, with over 30 surveyors having overseas work experience. Reportedly, the Zhejiang Branch has further refined its research management regulations and talent incentive policies, establishing a new innovation studio for inspection technologies. It aims to nurture innovative talent and encourages youth to hone practical skills through real-world challenges. To enhance drawing review service efficiency, the Review Party Branch has set up a “Party-led mentoring and practical training” growth mechanism, whereby technical experts pair with younger employees, blending Party character-building with professional training to comprehensively foster development and boost review efficiency. The transformation and growth of this team is another vivid example of how the Zhejiang Branch uses Party-building to strengthen business and leverages business to refine talent.

Promoting high-quality development through high-quality Party-building has always been achieved through diligent work. In recent years, the Zhejiang Branch has won several accolades, including "National Civilized Unit," "National Advanced Group in the Transportation Industry," and "Advanced Grassroots Party Organization in the Ministry of Transport System." Behind every honor is solid evidence of the branch's commitment to Party-led leadership, driving its staff to be pragmatic and action-oriented.

As the tides surge in the East China Sea, those who strive will advance; with unwavering determination, they sail toward the sea. Standing at a new starting point, the Zhejiang Branch continues to take on its responsibility as a "leading force in national ship inspection," writing a new chapter in accelerating the construction of a strong transportation and maritime nation.