Recently, China Classification Society (CCS) issued the world’s first Approval in Principle (AiP) certificate for a “Conceptual Digital Ship Based on Digital Delivery” to COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry (Yangzhou), the largest shipbuilding base under COSCO SHIPPING.

This certificate signifies that the technical solution for ship digital delivery of COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry has received authoritative recognition from CCS, demonstrating in principle the technical capability to achieve end-to-end digital integration throughout the full process of ship design, construction, delivery, operation, and maintenance.

What is “digital delivery” for ship?

To put it simply, traditional shipbuilding delivered a physical giant vessel to the shipowner, accompanied by a thick stack of drawings and manuals. Today, in addition to delivering the physical ship, a complete set of the vessel’s “digital twin profile” must be delivered simultaneously. From design and construction to operation and maintenance, all full-lifecycle information of the ship is transformed into queryable, traceable, and reusable digital assets, delivered in sync with the physical vessel. Shipowners no longer need to flip through paper manuals or board the ship for item-by-item verification; they can conduct “remote health checks” on the vessel anytime and anywhere, significantly boosting operation and maintenance efficiency.

This world’s first certificate indicates that this technical solution has secured authoritative approval, marking the maritime industry’s official transition from “physical asset delivery” to a brand-new stage of “digital value delivery.” It not only resolves a series of industry pain points—such as the cumbersome nature of traditional ship delivery, high operation and maintenance costs, and difficulty in data traceability—but also provides a pioneering pathway for the digital transformation of the global shipbuilding industry.

In the future, smart vessels equipped with “digital identities” will set sail for the deep blue one after another, enabling greater shipping efficiency, smarter management, and safer operation and maintenance.