Thursday, June 26, 2025
Home News China’s first unmanned boxship in maiden trip

China’s first unmanned boxship in maiden trip

China’s first autonomous container ship will enter service in October 2021. The 300TEU Zhi Fei will be deployed by the state-owned Shandong Port Shipping Group to shuttle between Qingdao’s main port and the latter’s sub-port, Dongjiakou.

Zhi Fei is the first container ship serving China’s inland waterways to meet the criteria of unmanned autonomous navigation tests.

China began its push towards autonomous vessels in March 2019, when the Ministry of Transport approved research and development into smart navigation and integrated transport. Maritime nations are keen on autonomous navigation as a means to reducing maritime accidents and resolving a shortage of seafarers.

Construction of the Zhi Fei was assigned to Yangfan Group’s Qingdao shipyard, the vessel design was undertaken by Navigation Brilliance Technology, Shanghai Bestway Marine Engineering Design, Shanghai Marine Equipment Research Institute, Dalian Maritime University and the China Waterborne Transport Research Institute.

Vessel construction was completed in June 2021 and sea trials were conducted later that month.

The ship is fitted with intelligent navigation and advanced environmentally-friendly solutions that reduce emissions and noise, including an electric propulsion system.

Zhi Fei is 117 metres long and 15 metres wide with a maximum sailing speed of 12 knots.

Operating the Zhi Fei will be an experiment for the future development of unmanned navigation in China.

Besides autonomous navigation, the Ministry of Transport will experiment with installing ship-to-shore mobile communication network on the vessel, smart pilotage, and unmanned dispatch and management of container cargoes.

Martina Li
Asia Correspondent





Latest Posts

Maersk unveils “Trade & Tariff Studio” to simplify customs management

Maersk has launched Maersk Trade & Tariff Studio, an AI-driven customs-management platform. Lars Karlsson, Global Head of Trade & Customs Consulting at Maersk stated that...

Solstad renews partnership with Marlink

Solstad has renewed its long-standing partnership with Marlink to advance its digitalization strategy through to 2028. Under the new agreement, Marlink will deliver SealinkNextGen, a...

KEZAD and Witthal Gulf Industries sign deal to launch recycling plant

Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi Group has signed a 50-year land lease agreement with Witthal Gulf Industries for the establishment of the country’s first...

Emirates Shipping Line announces new service to Seattle

Emirates Shipping Line has announced its entry into the United States market with the launch of the Sun Chief Express service, a direct, fortnightly...

Port of Long Beach approves $833 million budget

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved an $833 million budget for fiscal year 2026, nearly half of which will go toward...
error: Content is protected !!