On July 10, the inaugural meeting of the Marine Equipment Professional Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) of China Institute of Navigation was held in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province. Li Shixin, Executive Vice Chairman of China Institute of Navigation, attended the meeting and delivered an address. Liu Shun, Secretary-General of China Institute of Navigation, read out the official approval document. Representatives from over 60 organizations spanning marine oil exploration and development, salvage and wreck removal, classification societies, shipping enterprises, shipbuilding, maritime universities, and equipment manufacturing, together with specially invited guests, gathered to witness the launch of this industry-wide collaborative innovation platform.
The meeting reviewed and approved the “Working Regulations of the Marine Equipment Professional Committee of the China Institute of Navigation” and the election procedures, and elected the leadership of the first committee. China Oilfield Services Limited was elected as the chairperson unit, 11 organizations were elected as vice chairperson units, and 5 organizations were elected as secretary-general/deputy secretary-general units.
In his address, Li Shixin noted that marine equipment serves as a "national heavy lifter" for venturing into the deep blue and harnessing the oceans. From being technologically constrained by foreign dredging equipment to independently developing the "Tian Kun Hao" ultra-large self-propelled cutter suction dredger, and from having core automated terminal technologies controlled by Europe and the United States to ranking among the world's leaders in the number of automated terminals built, China's marine equipment industry has attained the capacity for scaled development and systematic breakthroughs. The establishment of the Committee is precisely intended to build a platform for collaborative research in frontier areas such as deep-sea exploration, polar equipment, and green and intelligent technologies. He put forward four expectations for the Committee's future development: first, to serve national strategies and keep the development direction on course; second, to build exchange platforms and drive scientific and technological innovation; third, to cultivate talent echelons and stimulate innovation vitality; and fourth, to deepen international cooperation and expand industry influence.
The Committee will operate under the principles of "overall planning, division of labor with coordination, collaborative innovation, and breakthroughs in key areas," focusing on six major directions: research on marine equipment development layout; fundamental research on intelligent shipping and intelligent safety; research on international regulations and industry standards; integrated innovation of marine new energy; research on offshore engineering equipment system integration; and research on marine equipment manufacturing and localization. Each lead organization will report on its work progress to the Committee semi-annually, coordinating efforts to resolve cross-sector collaboration challenges and jointly fostering a virtuous cycle of "layout guidance—fundamental breakthroughs—technological tackling—engineering application—standard enhancement".
The Marine Equipment Professional Committee stands as a branch organization of the China Institute of Navigation, initiated and prepared by China Oilfield Services Limited. China Oilfield Services Limited, a subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, is the most comprehensive integrated oilfield service provider in China's offshore waters, with operations spanning the entire lifecycle of offshore oil and gas exploration, development and production, covering four business segments: geophysical survey, drilling, oilfield technology, and vessel services, with a service footprint extending across the globe.