More than 400 guests from China and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as related international organizations, attend a forum marking the Maritime Day of China in Ningbo, in eastern Zhejiang province, on July 11. [Photo/china.com] 

A major forum to celebrate the Maritime Day of China opened in Ningbo, in eastern Zhejiang province, on July 11 – the day marking the national holiday.

Hosted by the municipal government of Ningbo, the China Institute of Navigation and the China Waterborne Transport Research Institute, the forum was attended by more than 400 guests from China and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as related international organizations. 

The forum, focusing on boosting the high-quality development of the domestic shipping industry, included four sub-forums on the topics of seafarers, ships, shipping companies and marine culture, to give a thorough picture of the current situation in China's shipping industry and seafarers' work and life on the sea.

In addition, a host of public activities such as a yacht race, port museum open day and summer camp are also available until July 12.

The Maritime Day of China is the only maritime-focused festival approved by the State Council, and is currently the highest-standard, largest and most comprehensive festival in the maritime field. It has been celebrated 14 times since 2005. 

"This is the fourth time that the forum has been held in Ningbo," organizers said. "We hope to strengthen cooperation with BRI countries via the forum and boost the development of the city's shipping industry." 

China's shipping industry has seen remarkable achievements in cutting costs and improving efficiency in recent years, with several service charges reduced by 5 to 20 percent. 

Shore power has also been used to control air pollution. Statistics showed that more than 3,700 sets of shore power facilities had been established by the end of 2018, providing electricity to over 5,200 mooring berths.

A container vessel berths at a terminal in Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, the world's largest port for cargo turnover. [Photo/IC]