Inside Shanghai's Five Centers | International shipping center

To strengthen its functions as an international center in the fields of economy, finance, trade, shipping, and science and technology innovation, Shanghai has recently released a set of cases highlighting progress in each area.

This edition focuses on three cases that reflect the city's latest advances as an international shipping center.

Case 1: Green transformation of maritime fuels

Shanghai Port has become one of the few ports worldwide capable of conducting simultaneous ship-to-ship bunkering of both liquefied natural gas and green methanol.

From the start of bonded liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering operations in March 2022 to October 2025, the port supplied 1.45 million cubic meters of LNG to 251 international vessels, ranking among the world's top three ports for bonded LNG bunkering.

To accelerate the green transformation of maritime fuels used in international shipping, Shanghai has outlined a roadmap aimed at establishing a comprehensive green maritime fuel supply system by 2030, serving both domestic and international markets.

Case 2: Streamlined water-to-water transshipment

Shanghai has introduced an integrated "one-document, one-container" model for the water-to-water transshipment of dangerous goods.

By coordinating operations and sharing data between the port of origin and the transshipment port, the model streamlines the declaration process by enabling approvals at the port of origin and confirmation at the transshipment port, significantly reducing processing time and logistics costs.

The model is being piloted on the Shanghai-Nanjing route, where its application has expanded from the "new trio" export products of lithium batteries, solar cells, and new energy vehicles to additional categories of dangerous goods.

This expansion has further improved logistics efficiency across the Yangtze River Delta region.

Since its pilot launch, cargo declarations have increased by 85.6 percent, vessel calls by 43.9 percent, and containers by 200 percent, while overall operational efficiency for enterprises has risen by more than 30 percent.

Case 3: Green Ship Insurance Consortium

The Green Ship Insurance Consortium is a collaborative platform supporting the shipping industry's green transition. Led by the Shanghai Institute of Marine Insurance, it brings together insurers and insurance intermediaries to develop risk protection solutions spanning the full life cycle of green vessels.

At its core, the consortium provides tailored insurance products for vessels powered by batteries, LNG, and methanol, as well as for offshore wind installation ships.

By pooling underwriting capacity and sharing risks, it helps address long-standing challenges in insuring high-risk green vessels while strengthening domestic insurance supply capabilities.