China’s marine‑economy output hits 5.5 trillion yuan in first half of 2026

According to CCTV‑Net, the Ministry of Natural Resources released national marine‑economic data for the first half of 2026 on 3 August. China’s marine economy records steady growth, demonstrating solid resilience.

Preliminary calculations place China’s gross ocean product at 5.5 trillion yuan for the first six months of the year, representing a year‑on‑year rise of 5.1 per cent. It accounts for 7.9 per cent of national gross domestic product, outpacing overall GDP growth by 0.4 percentage points.

Marine spatial‑resource and energy‑supply capacity keeps expanding. A total of 1 246 new sea‑and‑island‑use projects have been approved, covering 123 000 hectares with total planned investment exceeding 380 billion yuan. Phase 1 of the Kenli 10‑2 oilfield complex has gone fully into production. Offshore‑wind‑power roll‑out gathers momentum; the world’s largest‑capacity 16‑megawatt floating offshore‑wind platform, the Three Gorges Pioneer, has completed installation. The Shandong Peninsula North‑L site, China’s deepest‑water offshore‑wind‑power project, has achieved full‑capacity grid connection. It generates roughly 1.7 billion kWh annually, enough to supply power for around 500 000 households for one year.

Marine manufacturing posts robust expansion, with marine shipbuilding and offshore‑engineering‑equipment sectors delivering prominent growth and creating fresh growth drivers. Measured in compensated gross tonnes, China’s new ship‑order intake, completed ship output and hand‑on‑order volumes rose year‑on‑year by 105.2 per cent, 34.8 per cent and 37.1 per cent respectively. The country captures 73.9 per cent, 55.4 per cent and 63.3 per cent of respective global market shares, retaining its leading global position. More than forty high‑end vessels including ultra‑large container ships, very‑large crude‑oil carriers and large‑scale liquefied‑natural‑gas tankers have been handed over. Shipyards maintain full order books, with some order books stretching beyond 2029.

The offshore‑engineering‑equipment sector speeds up quality‑oriented upgrading. The value of newly secured offshore‑engineering contracts climbed 121.9 per cent year‑on‑year, taking over 80 per cent of the global market. Heart of Offshore Wind, the world’s largest offshore‑converter station, has finished its installation works.

Targeted policy measures rolled out in the first half of 2026 improve business sentiment among marine‑related enterprises, while emerging marine‑industry segments attract growing capital interest. China’s first special‑policy document covering marine‑pharmaceutical and functional‑product development has been issued, laying out clear guidance for marine‑drug research and industrialisation. Four original‑new‑drug candidates, covering acute kidney injury, sepsis‑induced coagulopathy, advanced‑tumour therapy and analgesia, have obtained approval to enter phase‑one clinical trials.

Twelve marine‑focused enterprises completed initial public offerings in the first half of the year, raising 13.34 billion yuan and making up 18.9 per cent of total IPO financing across the domestic market. Survey returns from more than 1 500 marine‑related enterprises show 70.8 per cent, 68.8 per cent and 83.5 per cent reported stable or higher year‑on‑year revenue, profit and head‑count figures respectively. For the third quarter, 79.1 per cent and 87.7 per cent of surveyed firms expect revenue and staffing levels to stay flat or increase compared with the same period one year earlier.