Requiring only four staffers to breed millions of fish, “Jinghai 001,” a large deep-sea intelligent cage, became a hot star at the 2022 China Marine Economy Expo (CMEE) which concluded Saturday in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. Equipped with intelligent monitoring, automatic feeding and robots capable of cleaning nets, the 68-meter-long, 68-meter-wide and 40-meter-high smart cage serves as a smart platform for breeding deep-sea aquatic animals, and has an annual capacity of 1,000 tonnes. 

“There are 200 sensors in the cage. Also, its ‘fish face recognition’ system can monitor the number and growth status of fish in real-time,” said Pan Xilu, strategy director of Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Limited, at the three-day expo. The stable aquatic data delivered by “Jinghai 001” and its operation model will attract more investment in the construction of the cages. 

"Jinghai 001" is an epitome of the high-quality development of China's marine industry. At the CMEE, examples of China's booming marine economy could be seen in wind, light, hydrogen, fishing, tourism and other fields, showing both a development trend in green innovation and deepening cooperation. 

The Marine Economy Expo held in Shenzhen from November 24th to 26th is the only state-level and the most important marine economy expo in China. More than 1,000 exhibitors from home and abroad participated in this year's expo, both online and offline. More than 7000 items were displayed in the expo, including the models of many Chinese equipment with high-tech and high added-value, which interested many visitors. 

As the marine technology innovation speeds up, more and more disruptive technologies are exerting influence on the marine economy of China, such as the ocean satellite, new materials, AI and big data, chip sensor and the bio-medical technology based on the development of deep-sea organisms genetic resources. 

This accelerating marine technology innovation means that the structure of China's marine industry is being further optimized. In 2021, the added value of emerging marine industries doubled compared with that in 2015. 

“Due to the complex and changeable characteristics of marine natural conditions, the development of marine economy entails a higher need for technology,” said He Guangshun, director of the marine strategic planning and economics department in the Ministry of Natural Resources. “The future development of the marine industry will be driven more by innovation,” He said. 

As one of the three ecosystems in the planet, the marine sustainable development and the construction of ecological civilization are interwoven with the achievement of the dual carbon goals. At the CMEE, green, low-carbon and environmentally friendly trends became another highlight of China's marine economy. 

In the exhibition area of China International Marine Containers (Group) Co., Ltd., new energy solutions such as wind power generation, photovoltaic power generation, tidal power generation and offshore hydrogen production proved eye-catching. 

China State Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. showcased various types of "green ships" using electric, hybrid and clean energy, providing different types of energy-saving and environmentally friendly shipping solutions. Besides, advances are also made in the field of green farming, intelligent port, and offshore wind energy. 

The reporter has learned from the exhibition area of Yantian Port that although the port throughput increased tremendously during the past ten years, the carbon emission of each container decreased. 

With the thawing offshore drilling market in 2022, China International Marine Containers (Group) Co., Ltd. has received contracts from the North Sea of Europe, the Middle East, the Gulf of Mexico, and Brazil, spotlighting the Chinese high-end manufacture. 

Dozens of companies, including American Bureau of Shipping, Bureau Veritas, and Shell participated in the expo, displaying their latest technologies, products and equipment. 

Government officials, executives and experts from over 10 countries discussed the development trend of the global marine industry, technological frontiers and other hot issues in the marine field during this event. 

Norwegian Ambassador to China，SigneBrudeset said that openness and cooperation are needed in the sustainable development of marine resources. 

“China will deeply participate in maritime governance, vigorously promote global cooperation in key areas, and actively contribute to building a maritime community with a shared future,” He said.