DALIAN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Attending the 2024 Summer Davos in his hometown of Dalian, a coastal city in Liaoning Province, northeast China, was a rewarding experience for Guo Chao. If the 41-year-old local shipbuilder needed any reminding of his personal link to the subjects under discussion, his shipyard could be seen clearly from the conference venue.
Guo is vice president of Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Co, Ltd. (DSOC), and this was his first time attending the annual conference. On Wednesday, the second day of the event, he joined a forum on topics related to the shipbuilding industry.
Whenever he mentioned his company's new ships, his comments aroused strong interest among his fellow attendees. "Your new products are opening up new possibilities," said Gao Haichun, who manages a new energy enterprise based in Jiangsu.
Guo said the company has recently begun the construction of a liquid carbon dioxide transport ship. "It is over 130 meters long, over 20 meters wide, and can transport 7,500 cubic meters of carbon dioxide in a single trip."
He further described how carbon dioxide emissions captured from coastal cement and steel plants are gathered, pressurized, and stored onboard the transport ship before being shipped to a terminal dock for injection into the seabed, ensuring permanent containment.
In 2019, Norway's Northern Lights company partnered with DSOC. "The first two ships we built for Northern Lights have already been launched, and we expect to deliver them by the end of this year, while construction of the third ship began last month," Guo said.
This progress has bolstered DSOC's reputation within the industry. "Your ships are progressing swiftly, advancing Norway's carbon dioxide storage demonstration project. The future market for carbon dioxide storage is expansive, and it's commendable to see your proactive preparation," said Marc Courtemanche, president of Norwegian oil company Equinor China AS, at the forum.
Growing up in Dalian, where his father worked as a shipbuilding engineer, Guo harbored a lifelong dream of shipbuilding.
After studying ocean engineering at university, Guo spent 15 years in ship marketing at DSOC. Having traveled across nearly 20 countries and regions, he found that while previous generations excelled in shipbuilding through technical prowess and quality, it is imperative to adapt to industry trends and develop new business strategies.
Lin Mu, with the Dalianwan Linhai Equipment Manufacturing Industrial Park, within which DSOC operates, is enthused by the company's success. She said the DSOC is capitalizing on the new opportunity of reducing emissions and carbon and is expected to see new growth.
Referencing various companies within the park, Lin said, "Our shipbuilding has evolved from single-product specialization to comprehensive product coverage, integrating into the global supply chain, while localization levels continue to elevate."
China aims to see its green shipbuilding technology reach an advanced international level and lead in the global green shipbuilding market by 2030, according to an action plan on the green development of the shipbuilding industry.
Guo said the forum has enabled him to conduct in-depth discussions and exchanges with his foreign counterparts in areas including carbon trading and green development.
He plans to push the company to quickly establish relevant standards for liquid carbon dioxide transport ships, and enter the global industry chain for carbon capture, transportation, and storage. ■
