China: China sees buoyant demand for electric ships.

Storyline China sees buoyant demand for electric ships Demand for electric ships is surging in China, driven by both policies to replace aging vessels and the pursuit of low-carbon growth. This shipbuilding company in east China's Shandong Province is using intelligent equipment to achieve a fully modular construction system. In creating successively larger parts from smaller ones, the company has reduced the shipbuilding cycle by more than half. Zhang Bo, head, processing group, joint production workshop, Xinneng Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.: "We have received orders of 108 ships so far. Our production lines are full capacity. As of this month, we have delivered 82 ships." A company manager says their best seller is a fully electric multi-purpose vessel with a 2,000-ton load capacity, 300-kilometer range and a 1.7-million-dollar price tag with subsidy. Now the company is advancing the design and development of intelligent new ship types. Ren Yuanjie, assistant general manager, Xinneng Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.: "Compared to traditional ships, the new design reduces sailing resistance by 8 percent, energy consumption by 4 percent, and hull weight by 5 percent. Especially in adverse environments, such as dense fog, its orientation resolution or directional ability is improved by 58 percent." Data shows that over the next three years, authorities plan to replace about 20,000 diesel models of the country's more than 89,000 total inland water vessels with electric models. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]