A shipyard in Nantong. [Photo/WeChat account: ntjoy2012]

Since the start of the year, a wave of significant marine-related projects has been swiftly established in Nantong, Jiangsu province. Currently, the city is advancing 157 key marine projects, totaling 285.8 billion yuan ($42.15 billion) in investment.

At Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Qidong Marine Engineering, massive ships dominate the docks. Inside the facility, workers are engaged in the construction of various projects. This year, the company has launched a new generation of deep-water, multifunctional marine engineering vessels and a 25,000-cubic-meter-capacity trailing suction hopper dredger.

This dynamic construction scene captures the renewed vigor of Nantong's blue economy. In Qidong, for example, the offshore engineering and shipbuilding industry chain included 115 enterprises above designated size in the first quarter, achieving taxable sales of 12.19 billion yuan, marking a 23.1 percent year-on-year increase.

In the first quarter alone, construction began on 32 key marine industry projects, each with an investment exceeding 500 million yuan, totaling 23.5 billion yuan. Additionally, 18 projects were completed, representing a total investment of 34 billion yuan.

At the Rudong Yangkou Port, the second phase of Jiangsu Yada Nantong Rudong base is rapidly taking shape and is expected to be operational by September. According to Han Fei, production director of Yada Green Energy, once operational, the project will have an annual production capacity of 15,000 metric tons of marine engineering modules and 300 sets of marine piping systems.