LONDON, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Inside the main building of University College London, a group of young Chinese and British students gathered for an international exchange on one of the most pressing challenges facing the maritime industry: how to make shipping greener.
One after another, students from China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and Britain's University College London took the floor, sharing research and debating practical solutions for the shipping industry's transition to a low-carbon future.
Outside, London was enduring intense summer heat, which gave the discussion an added sense of urgency.
What fuels should ships use? How can ports efficiently supply cleaner fuels? Can promising technologies move beyond laboratories and research papers into real-world operations? These were not merely theoretical questions for the students.
Some presented research into autonomous systems operating in complex waters, while others explored ways to improve the efficiency of methanol bunkering at ports. One group shared research on the development and operation of China's electric vessels.
The exchange was part of a field research project organized by SJTU under its Global Challenge Program.
During the visit in London last week, SJTU students met with representatives of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), Lloyd's Register, and the Royal Institute of Navigation, discussing ship technologies, green fuels, and international maritime regulations.
At the IACS, the students did not hesitate to ask tricky questions: What are the biggest obstacles to achieving net-zero emissions in global shipping? How can university research be translated more effectively into industrial applications?
The answers pointed to a challenge that extends well beyond technological innovation. Universities, industry, and international organizations need to work more closely together, with researchers working alongside classification societies, shipowners, shipyards and industry bodies to turn academic findings into technical recommendations, and eventually international proposals.
For Yue Mingyuan, a SJTU doctoral student, that message resonated deeply.
Yue previously interned at the IMO and now focuses on the application of green energy in ports and ships, including shore power and methanol as alternative energy sources.
"Companies bring us real problems. We use models and algorithms to find solutions, and then those solutions have to be tested in real-world settings," Yue said. "Only then do we have a real chance of producing something that can actually be used."
That emphasis on practical application was echoed by Robert Ashdown, IACS secretary general, who described the students' visit as constructive and meaningful in terms of academic research, talent development and the transformation of the shipping industry.
The IACS looks forward to deepening its cooperation with SJTU, Ashdown said.
James Frew, advisory director of Lloyd's Register, also expressed hope for closer cooperation with SJTU, saying that more joint achievements could help bring China's experience in green shipping to Europe and the wider world.
For the students, the significance of the trip went beyond individual research projects.
Whether sitting in on meetings at the IMO or exchanging views with international maritime professionals, they were gaining a first-hand understanding of how the global shipping industry works, and how China's experience is increasingly becoming part of conversations about international maritime rules and the future of the sector.
"The most important part of the experience was giving students the opportunity to connect classroom knowledge with the realities of international shipping," said Hu Hao, assistant to the SJTU president and a professor at its School of Ocean and Civil Engineering.
The purpose of exchanges like this, Hu said, is twofold: to give the world a better understanding of China's experience in the maritime sector, while helping young people recognize that Chinese ideas, technologies and practices are becoming an increasingly important part of international dialogue.
As a global center for maritime regulation, shipping finance and insurance, and the operations of multinational companies, London offers a unique vantage point to observe the evolution of global shipping governance and the industry's green transition.
Arsenio Dominguez, IMO secretary-general, said that China has shared extensive practical experience with the IMO in areas including port operations, seafarer education and training, and ship design and construction.
From technical challenges aboard ships to alternative fuels at ports and debates over international rules, the young Chinese students in London were witnessing a maritime industry in the midst of profound change.
They were not simply observing that transformation, but beginning to find their own place within it -- bringing their research, experience, and questions to the international stage, allowing the global conversation on green shipping to hear young voices from China. ■
