China to build technology innovation center for waterborne transport equipment

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- China plans to build a national technology innovation center on the safety and reliability of waterborne transport equipment in a key port city in the eastern province of Zhejiang.

The initiative is expected to promote the high-quality development of the waterborne transport equipment industry to boost the development of the country's transportation sector, the Science and Technology Daily reported on Monday.

The municipal government of Ningbo, and the administrative committee of the Ningbo National High-tech Industrial Development Zone signed a cooperation agreement with China Classification Society (CCS) to jointly establish the center, which will be an innovation platform that integrates science, technology, and application.

The cooperation aims to promote the development of a high-end equipment industry cluster and enhance the resilience and safety of the waterborne transport equipment supply chains in China, while providing technical support for Ningbo's development as a marine center city and the high-quality growth of its manufacturing sector, a CCS representative was quoted as saying.

According to the agreement, the three parties will jointly promote foundational technological research, research achievement application, and high-end talent cultivation in the waterborne transport equipment sector.

The cooperation will address innovation needs in deep-sea polar exploration, intelligent shipping, green shipping, high-tech ships, marine engineering equipment, and marine new materials.

In addition, a comprehensive testing and verification platform for waterborne transport equipment will be built under the agreement.

Operating under the Ministry of Transport, the CCS provides internationally leading technical specifications and standards for ships, offshore facilities, containers, and related industrial products, acting as an independent third-party inspection service provider.