Hubei Port Group’s Qianfan Programme Delivers Strong Mid-Year Results for Green Intelligent Inland Vessel Sector

Hubei Port Group’s Qianfan Programme, a dedicated industrial initiative focused on green and smart inland waterborne vessels, has delivered tangible operational gains across the first six months of 2026. The scheme has built a complete industrial ecosystem spanning research, design, manufacturing, operational management, supporting hardware and after-market services. Total revenue generated under the programme stands at 650 million yuan, with a total of 119 new energy vessels brought into service through industrial co-ordination.

The first batch of five fully electric standard vessels has entered phased commercial operation, alongside two newly launched green demonstration shipping routes that have handled 14,000 TEU of container throughput. A dedicated digital supply chain platform for shipbuilding has onboarded more than 1,300 partner enterprises, covering over 90 per cent of all ship manufacturers operating within Hubei Province.

A closed-loop industrial ecosystem continues to take shape under clear phased development roadmaps laid out by Hubei Port Group. The group targets six mainstream standard vessel designs to be fully rolled out across regional waterways by 2027, rising to ten validated standard vessel models by 2030. It has led the formation of an industrial innovation consortium with CALB, the 712 Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation and Hubei East Lake Laboratory, linking together technical research, vessel fabrication, commercial operation and onshore energy refuelling infrastructure to form an integrated value chain.

Progress accelerates across physical manufacturing capacity and industrial base consolidation. The group presses ahead with strategic mergers, acquisitions and resource integration to strengthen its core green shipbuilding capacity. A subsidiary supply chain enterprise has established a joint venture specialising in marine battery, motor and electric control systems alongside CALB and East Lake New Energy, with initial registered capital contributions fully completed. Preparatory work for the acquisition of Sandianshui Hubei and Jiangrun Shipyard moves forward steadily. Special financial audits and asset valuation exercises for Jiangrun Shipyard have been fully finalised, with all administrative preconditions satisfied ahead of formal commercial negotiations and subsequent transaction implementation.

Diversified financing channels expand continuously to deliver sustained capital backing for industrial expansion. Through its integrated service platform Yu Gang Tong, Hubei Port Group has partnered with financial institutions including Changjiang Securities to launch Qianfan Tong, a custom financial leasing product tailored to match the capital demands of small and medium-sized shipping operators and shipbuilding manufacturers. Multiple key capital market initiatives record steady advancement. Asset securitisation programmes for the group’s logistics subsidiary and Central China Port & Shipping progress in orderly fashion, while asset-backed securitisation projects covering financial leasing and Hanjiang Port Investment hydropower hubs move to accelerated delivery timelines. These financial instruments ease capital expenditure pressures for industrial infrastructure construction.

National inland shipping industry data records consistent uptake of electric and low-emission vessels along the Yangtze and Hanjiang waterways. Regional authorities keep rolling out supporting refuelling and battery swap facilities alongside digital shipping management platforms to align with the growth of new energy vessel fleets over coming years.