Recently, the 400 passenger pure battery powered passenger ferry "New Pearl 39" of Hong Kong's New Ferry was launched in Nansha, Guangzhou. It is reported that this ship is currently the first passenger ferry in Hong Kong to be built entirely using domestically produced carbon fiber materials, breaking the technological monopoly of high-end imported carbon fiber materials in domestic passenger ships. With the improvement of shipbuilding technology and the promotion of the "dual carbon" goal, the demand for high-end green ships in the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao shipbuilding markets is becoming increasingly strong. Zong Weiqi, Deputy General Manager of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation Guangzhou Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd., stated that carbon fiber composite materials are an ideal material in the shipbuilding industry, with characteristics such as light weight, corrosion resistance, and low noise. Compared with traditional marine materials, they can further save fuel, reduce maintenance costs, and have obvious advantages in energy conservation, emission reduction, and low-carbon environmental protection. It is reported that carbon fiber and matching vinyl resin for civilian ships have been developed abroad and have been applied in passenger ships of over 40 meters for many years. However, previously, carbon fiber composite materials were only used in the field of small boats or yachts in China, and only T300 grade carbon fiber (T represents tensile strength, the larger the number, the higher the mechanical performance index of carbon fiber) was used. Its application in large passenger ships is still blank. Zong Weiqi believes that the high performance requirements and complex technical processes of carbon fiber materials for ships have led domestic shipbuilding companies to rely on importing foreign carbon fiber and resin to build ships. At present, the stability and supply cycle of imported materials are difficult to guarantee, coupled with high costs, it is imperative to promote the localization of carbon fiber composite materials. To solve the problem of "national material substitution", it is necessary to carry out research on the localization of high-end carbon fiber fabrics and supporting resins for ships on the basis of effectively integrating high-quality resources. Under the leadership and strong promotion of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) Guangzhou Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd., on June 9, 2023, CSIC Guangzhou Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd. signed a cooperation framework agreement with China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation's 725 Research Institute and Guangdong Zhongwei Composite Materials Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Guangdong Port and Shipping Group, to carry out research and promotion projects on the localization of marine carbon fibers. After more than a year of joint efforts from three parties, the R&D team has focused on the localization of carbon fiber composite materials. Through high-performance weaving technology, carbon fiber interface performance strengthening technology, high-strength impact resistant vinyl resin development technology, comprehensive performance evaluation of carbon fiber composite materials, carbon fiber composite material forming process, typical cabin construction and assessment evaluation, etc., a major breakthrough has been achieved in the independent production of carbon fiber composite materials in the shipbuilding industry. Our domestically developed carbon fiber composite materials for ships have been tested and found to have technical indicators and process performance comparable to imported materials, meeting the technical requirements for ship design Zong Weiqi said. The research results show that after matching self-developed domestic carbon fiber with resin, the performance is comparable to that of imported materials, reducing the structural weight by more than 20% compared to aluminum ships, meeting the requirements of ship design indicators and construction processes. Among them, the infusion type vinyl resin is superior to imported equivalent materials. The reporter saw at the scene that the "New Pearl 39" adopts a unique and innovative diagonal symmetrical design at the bow and stern. From the left and right of the ship, it looks like a vivid dolphin. The entire ship is constructed using carbon fiber composite material structure, with two cabins and a novel and beautiful appearance. Thanks to its carbon fiber structure, the ship has a light weight, low energy consumption, and long range, which can meet the requirements of charging at night and continuous operation during the day. This passenger ferry will serve Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong Huang Liezhang, Chairman of Hong Kong New Ferry Services Limited, said that passenger ships are an important means of transportation for Hong Kong residents and tourists, so the target audience of this ship is the general public and tourists in Hong Kong. (New Society)