Xi'an-built ship set for overseas delivery

When thinking of shipbuilding, the inland city of Xi'an rarely comes to mind. Yet, this historic city is charting a new course in the industry, demonstrating how innovation and adaptability can redefine geographic constraints.

Currently under construction in Xi'an's Yanliang district is a dredger set to be delivered to Ecuador by the end of December. This vessel, featuring a modular box-like design, includes dredging, propulsion, and conveyor systems.

Driven by a motorized dredging apparatus, it can remove sediment from riverbeds and transfer it to designated locations, processing up to 500 cubic meters of sand-water mixture per hour.

It is spearheaded by POWERCHINA (Xi'an) Port Navigation and Shipbuilding Technology Co, marking the company's ambitious first step toward global markets.

The company relocated from Gansu's Yongjing county to Xi'an in 2018 and has since become a leader in ship design and construction in Northwest China. According to Zhang Wei, the company's executive director, it now holds a nearly 70-percent market share in the non-water network vessel market in Northwest China.

China's shipbuilding legacy dates back over two millennia, reaching its first peak during the Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206 BC-AD 220) dynasties.

Today, the nation has led the world in shipbuilding output, new orders, and backlog for the past 14 years. With pioneers like POWERCHINA (Xi'an) Port Navigation and Shipbuilding Technology Co, inland shipbuilders are contributing to this momentum, embodying the industry's shift toward higher-quality development.