SHANGHAI is to develop new oceanic industries — such as marine life study, marine equipment production and sea water desalination — to become a national pilot zone on the marine economy.

Zhu Shiqing, deputy director with the Shanghai Oceanic Bureau, said yesterday the industries would mainly be based on the city’s Changxing Island and Pudong’s Lingang port area along the East China Sea.

He was speaking at a seminar on the annual World Ocean Day.

Changxing Island, part of Chongming District, would continue developing its shipbuilding and marine engineering equipment manufacturing, while Lingang would focus on oceanic studies and new technologies, Zhu said.

Shanghai had developed several advanced marine industries including shipbuilding, Zhu added.

Under China’s Belt and Road initiative, which aims to rejuvenate the ancient maritime Silk Road, the city must also focus on new oceanic industries such as marine biological medicines, new energy, shipping services and cruise tourism, he said.

The city government has applied to China’s central government to become a “demonstrative zone” and “demonstrative city” for oceanic economy innovation and development, according to the bureau.

To achieve the goal, the city government and the Lingang development administration had established a fund totaling 600 million yuan (US$88.3 million) to support the companies and projects on the marine industries, said Wang Jian, general manager with Lingang Marine Science Park.

Shanghai Ocean University, which has moved its campus to the Lingang port area, would focus on the equipment and technology for emergency rescuing during marine resource exploration, said Cui Weicheng, director of the university’s center of hadal science and technology.

Emergency rescuing was essential for China’s explorations of the South China Sea, Cui told Shanghai Daily.

To support the mission, three unmanned deep-sea landing devices would be developed by the center to be capable of descending 11,000 meters.

Cui said a manned device with a pilot and two scientists on board would be able to reach that depth by 2020.

After being equipped with mechanical arms, the landing devices would be able to carry out various deep sea missions, he added.