On September 17, the 2026 Global Ocean Development Forum opened in the West Coast New Area of Qingdao. Themed "From Blue to the Future — Developing a Sustainable Ocean Economy and Jointly Building a Beautiful, Bountiful Ocean," the forum brought together 680 Chinese and international dignitaries and government representatives from 60 countries and regions, officials of the United Nations and overseas ocean-management agencies, heads of international marine organizations and overseas business associations, leading marine experts and scholars, and envoys and representatives of coastal states to China. At the parallel forum "Blue Granary — the Green Transformation of Traditional Marine Industries," GreatWay Ocean Technology Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences.
The two parties will implement the strategic goal of "building China into a maritime power," align with national and local needs, and strengthen independent innovation capability through the integration of industry and research. The cooperation focuses on monitoring and governance of the coastal marine ecological environment: the partners will jointly conduct comprehensive coastal marine ecological surveys and assessments of restoration outcomes for typical marine ecosystems, build a joint platform for tackling key R&D problems, and establish cooperation mechanisms for monitoring and early-warning, emergency response, survey and assessment, information sharing and integrated governance — exploring a science-and-technology innovation system for coastal marine ecological monitoring and governance.
Under the agreement, the two sides will jointly build an industry–research cooperative R&D center combining technological innovation, transfer of results, talent cultivation and resource development. They will deepen cooperation in the internet of vessels, coastal ecological resources, marine environmental data, fishing-condition forecasting and fishery information, actively carry out personnel exchange and training, and jointly apply for national and provincial/ministerial science and technology projects, so that the cooperation takes deep and solid root.
After a decade of dedicated work in the industry, GW-OCEAN has formed three core business segments: Intelligent Ocean, Smart Fishery, and Marine & Fishing Equipment. The Shandong Provincial Marine Ranch Integrated Management System built by the company has become an industry benchmark in China; its proprietary SeaSky sea–air integrated intelligent supervision system has been deployed at multiple national-level marine ranches, fishing-port administrations, and marine research institutes and universities along China’s coast. Related technologies and projects have also gone abroad, landing in overseas markets such as Kiribati and Indonesia and supporting the export of Chinese marine technology.
The foundation of the "blue granary" is green, and the transformation of traditional marine industries cannot happen without technology. This signing is an important practice in GW-OCEAN’s participation in the Ocean Development Forum and its service to the building of a maritime power. Going forward, we will work with the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute with complementary strengths and sincere cooperation, so that more new technologies and equipment can be validated, matured and promoted in real-world settings — effectively connecting industrial development needs with scientific research applications, protecting coastal ecosystems and jointly building a blue future.
· Further Reading · | East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences
Founded in October 1958, the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute is affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; it is a national non-profit (Category II) public institution and a comprehensive fisheries research organization. Its research spans distant-water and polar fishery resource development, estuarine and coastal fishery ecology, conservation and utilization of fishery resources, fishing technology and fishery engineering, assessment and protection of the fishery eco-environment, aquaculture and genetic breeding, aquatic product processing and quality safety, and fishery information and strategy. The institute hosts 16 key laboratories and platforms at various levels, including those of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; operates two 300-tonne fishery resource survey vessels and one 3,000-tonne comprehensive marine fishery scientific survey vessel; holds more than 3,300 sets of scientific instruments and equipment; and publishes the academic journals "Marine Fisheries" and "Fishery Information & Strategy." In more than 60 years since its founding, it has received over 20 national-level and more than 140 provincial/ministerial-level science and technology awards, making important contributions in fields such as pioneering China’s distant-water fisheries and the development and ecological protection of East China Sea fishery resources.
