A bird's-eye view of a shipyard in Nantong. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

The 2026 Nantong Jianghai International Expo is set to run from Sept 16 to 19 at the Nantong International Convention and Exhibition Center, according to the press conference held on Sept 7.

The event, now in its seventh edition for the shipbuilding and marine engineering sector, is positioning itself as a key platform for the industry's push toward smarter and greener production.

This year's event is noticeably larger. The expo will cover about 32,000 square meters, with 13,000 sq m of exhibition floor space. Organizers have booked 474 standard booths and 136 custom-designed ones, with more than 550 exhibitors signed up, both new highs.

International interest has grown sharply. The consuls general of South Korea, Finland, and Denmark are expected to attend the opening ceremony. Finland will mount a group pavilion and host a separate session on green and low-carbon solutions. Seven overseas classification societies have also confirmed they will take part.

More than 30 side events are scheduled, covering topics from AI-assisted ship design to marine new energy. Dedicated areas have been set up for industrial innovation and digital manufacturing. The expo is scheduled to open its doors to the public on Sept 19, and overall attendance is expected to surpass 30,000.

The expo comes as Nantong's shipbuilding industry continues to break records. Between 2021 and 2025, the sector's output doubled from 100 billion yuan ($14.90 billion) to 200 billion yuan. Today, the city accounts for one-eighth of the country's total shipbuilding output and one-third of its marine engineering production. The momentum has carried into 2026, with assembly and related output hitting 112.6 billion yuan in the first half alone, the highest ever for that period.