Li Yibo, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Guangzhou Port Group, Huang Bo, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of the Group, Zhu Shaobing, Deputy General Manager of Guangzhou Port Co., Ltd., Yang Li, Director of the Shipbuilding Department of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, Han Guangde, Chairman of Guangzhou Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, He Qinglin, Dean of No. 605 Research and Design Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, Zong Weiqi, Deputy General Manager of Guangzhou Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, and other leaders attended the signing ceremony. Zeng Weisi, Executive Director of Guangzhou Port Shipping Co., Ltd., and Lin Lin, Deputy Chief Economist of Guangzhou Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, signed the contract on behalf of both parties. Yuan Yue, Deputy Director of Guangzhou Port Authority, attended and witnessed the signing ceremony.

This time, Guangzhou Port Group and China State Shipbuilding Corporation take the lead in carrying out oil-to-LNG power transformation cooperation, which is an important measure to thoroughly implement the requirements of the provincial and municipal governments on the oil-to-LNG power transformation of inland vessels, and accelerate the construction of green ports. It will form a demonstration effect and lead the green development of shipping in Guangdong. It is planned to invest more than RMB 40 million in this project. The 8 vessels that will be transformed are mainly used in the “Guangzhou Port Shuttle Bus” operation. According to preliminary estimates, after the 8 vessels have completed the oil-to-LNG power transformation, the annual carbon emission reduction will exceed 10% compared to diesel, and the transformation project will be completed in 2022.

It is reported that under the background that China has proposed the goal of carbon dioxide peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, LNG, as a world-recognized clean, low-carbon and environmentally friendly energy source, will undoubtedly become a new force in this “major test”, and its advantages are obvious. It will effectively help to improve the environmental quality of the Pearl River and its tributary waterways, and truly realize “green shipping”.

Since the beginning of this year, the provincial government has vigorously promoted the enhancement of inland navigation capacity and green development of inland navigation, and successively issued the documents Overall Work Plan for Improvement of Inland Navigation Capacity and the Promotion of the Green Development of Inland Navigation, Implementation Plan for Inland Navigation Capacity Improvement and other important documents, so as to implement Xi Jinping’s thoughts on ecological civilization and new development philosophy and the series of deployments of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council on carbon emissions peaking and carbon neutrality with practical actions. It is an important strategic move to adjust the transportation structure of Guangdong, win the battle to defend the blue sky, and build the regional development pattern of “One Core, One Belt and One Zone”.

As a comprehensive hub port in South China, a core port in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the gateway hub of Guangzhou - an important national central city, Guangzhou Port has always been a pioneer in green development by continuously increasing investment in port environmental protection equipment and facilities, and has become one of the first four “green ports” recognized by the State. Guangzhou Port Shipping Co., Ltd. is the only shipping company under Guangzhou Port Co., Ltd., mainly responsible for cargo transportation and water-to-water transfer logistics business between the major, medium-sized and small terminals in the Pearl River Delta and Guangdong Province, and it is also an important support for Guangzhou Port to develop multimodal transport and enhance the function of Guangzhou as an international shipping hub.

The “Shuttle Bus” of Guangzhou Port is a barge bridge connecting Nansha Port Area to various small and medium-sized terminals in the Pearl River Delta. In recent years, it has continuously introduced a series of characteristic channel products such as “WGO” (Water Gate Operation) model, and “Integrated Customs Clearance in Bay Area” to guide customers to “choose water transportation" and “choose shuttle bus”, so as to make positive contributions to alleviating the pressure of road transportation and reducing urban carbon emissions. At present, Guangzhou “shuttle bus” routes have covered Huangpu, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Zhuhai, Zhaoqing, Foshan, Huizhou, Qingyuan, Jieyang, Wuzhou, Qinzhou and other places, connecting to Guangxi, Hainan and other regions. With up to 72 routes and an annual transportation capacity of more than 1.9 million TEUs, it has become the main force in the “last mile” of international shipping in Guangdong and even the Greater Bay Area.

The relevant responsible persons of Guangzhou Port Group stated that during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, Guangzhou Port Group will follow the deployment of “carbon emissions peaking and carbon neutrality”, give full play to the leading role as the leading port and shipping enterprise in Guangdong, act actively, take the promotion of clean energy use, control of pollutant emissions and intensive recycling of resources as the guidance, promote the development of the port and shipping industry from scale expansion to improvement of quality and efficiency, enhance the green, low-carbon and circular development of the port and shipping industry in Guangdong, continue to strengthen the planning and layout of new energy in the port and shipping industry in Guangdong, and build a diversified energy application system. (Text by Zhang Minmin and Tan Lei, Picture by Zhu Junkun)