The global shipbuilding industry is undergoing a profound green transformation. By 2025, China’s international market share of new green ship orders will reach 69.2%, far exceeding the 50% target set in the “Action Plan for Green Development of Shipbuilding Industry (2024-2030)”. Behind this number is a wave of industry transformation driven by the interweaving of international rule restructuring, national policy promotion, and industrial technology upgrading.
International Rule Driven: The Game and Promotion of IMO Net Zero Framework
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) approved the draft net zero framework in April 2025 as a draft amendment to Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). This framework consists of two core elements: global fuel standards and a global greenhouse gas emission pricing mechanism. The former requires ships to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity (GFI) of their marine fuels year by year; The latter has established a two-level remediation unit purchase mechanism for ships with excessive emissions – the price of the first level remediation unit is $100/tCO ₂ eq, and the price of the second level remediation unit is $380/tCO ₂ eq.
However, the net zero framework originally scheduled for voting in October 2025 has been postponed to 2026. Behind the delay lies a procedural dispute between “implied acceptance” and “explicit acceptance”, as well as a reflection of the deep-seated differences between developed and developing countries in the allocation of emission reduction responsibilities and cost sharing. Despite the postponement of the vote, IMO has clarified its policy direction and the shipping industry is entering what Det Norske Veritas calls the ‘possibly most decisive decade’.
China responds: policy system accelerates formation
As the world’s largest shipowner and shipbuilding country, China has taken the lead in initiating standard development and practical exploration. In April 2026, the Maritime Safety Administration of the Ministry of Transport released the “Action Plan for Accelerating the Construction of Green Intelligent Ship Technical Specification System (2026-2030)”, aiming to have a relatively complete green ship technical specification system by 2027 and a complete green ship technical specification system by 2030.
The plan clarifies multiple technical routes: revising the specifications for pure battery powered and natural gas fuel powered ships, and formulating inspection rules for ammonia fuel, hydrogen fuel, liquefied petroleum gas, and dimethyl ether fuel powered ships. China Classification Society has simultaneously promoted the first change notice of the “Green Ecological Ship Code” (2025) and the “Guidelines for Carbon Footprint Inspection of Newly Built Ships” (2025), implementing carbon footprint quality rating through additional markings.
Technological Evolution: From LNG to Diversified Alternative Fuels
The proportion of orders for alternative fuel powered vessels has become a key indicator of the industry’s transformation progress. In 2024, orders using alternative fuel power accounted for 52% of new shipbuilding orders, reaching a historic high. LNG power dominates with mature infrastructure.
