As a major maritime economy province in China, Fujian Province, leveraging its rich maritime cultural heritage and increasingly sophisticated shipbuilding technology, has achieved impressive results in the ship export market.
From January to July, Fujian’s ship exports reached RMB 11.67 billion (approximately US$1.623 billion), a year-on-year increase of 33.7%, setting a new record for the same period. In July, ship exports reached RMB 2.89 billion (approximately US$402 million), a year-on-year increase of 26%, setting a new monthly record for export volume.
Fujian shipbuilders are focusing on technological breakthroughs and product upgrades, leading to a diversification of their export products. Customs data show that bulk carriers and ro-ro vessels are the mainstays of Fujian’s ship exports, with exports of RMB 4.71 billion (approximately US$655 million) and RMB 3.16 billion (approximately US$440 million) from January to July, respectively, representing year-on-year increases of 12.6% and 1.5 times. Together, they account for nearly 70% of Fujian’s total ship exports during the same period. During the same period, liquid cargo ship exports saw strong growth, totaling RMB 1.72 billion (approximately US$239 million), a year-on-year surge of 4010%, accounting for 14.7% of Fujian’s total ship export value in the same period.
Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry (XSI) is a company with rich experience in the manufacture of large ships. Its flagship products, including car carriers and container ships, are popular in eight countries and regions overseas. “We are currently in the peak period of order delivery. Since the beginning of this year, XSI has delivered a total of three ships to overseas customers, with an export value of nearly RMB 2 billion.” XSI relevant personnel introduced that it is expected that four more ships will be delivered by the end of the year, and shipbuilding orders have been scheduled until 2028.
Ships exported from Fujian Province have become hot sellers in the shipping markets of many countries and regions. From January to July, Fujian exported ships worth RMB 3.07 billion, RMB 2.02 billion, and RMB 1.16 billion to ASEAN, Latin America and the Middle East, respectively, representing year-on-year increases of 3.2 times, 100%, and 22.3%, respectively. Together, these three regions accounted for 53.6% of Fujian’s total ship exports during the same period.
State-owned enterprises continue to be the main force behind Fujian’s ship exports. Data shows that from January to July, Fujian’s state-owned enterprises exported ships worthing a total of RMB 10.43 billion (approximately US$1.451 billion), a year-on-year increase of 30.6%, accounting for nearly 90% of Fujian’s total ship exports during the same period.