Production begins at new Green Intelligent Ship Industrial Park

By Yan Wanqin

The Yidu Green Intelligent Ship Industrial Park, funded by the Yichang Industrial Investment Group, officially launched operations on September 4, as its first tenant, Damen Yichang Shipyard, began production.

More than 800 workers are now building 10 Combi Freighter 3850 vessels and three pontoon boats at the new site. All workshops — including hull processing, block welding, and painting — are fully operational, along with supporting facilities such as power distribution rooms, roads, parking lots, and warehouses.

According to Wu Yinzhi, general manager advisor of Damen Yichang Shipyard, 13 ships are currently under construction, with four undergoing final assembly on the berths. All orders are international, involving customers from Turkey, Lithuania, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

"The most critical resource for a shipyard is the berth. After relocating to this park, we now have six 200-meter-long berths. If they are operating simultaneously, they can accommodate the assembly of 12 CF3850 ships," said Wu. She added that production efficiency has risen by at least 1.5 times compared with the old facility. The company targets an output value of 2 billion yuan (US$281 million) in the early years of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), with a goal of 3 billion yuan by the end of the period.

The Yidu Green Intelligent Ship Industrial Park is being constructed in four phases, focusing on green shipbuilding, advanced vessel manufacturing, and power charging. Its goal is to create a complete industrial base for green, intelligent ships in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

The first phase of the project, which covers an area of 585 mu (39 hectares), received an investment of more than 1.8 billion yuan. The project primarily accommodates the relocated Damen Yichang Shipyard.

"The first phase has largely been completed and delivered to Damen Yichang Shipyard. The land-based facilities began operating at the end of April, and we plan to deliver one berth of the remaining water-based supporting platforms by September 30 of this year," said Zhu Hongyan, head of the project's service team from Yichang Industrial Investment Group. Once fully operational, the project is expected to employ 1,500 industrial workers and have an annual shipbuilding capacity of 20 vessels.

Yang Xue and Li Boyan contributed to this story.