On March 31, 2026, the national key research project — "Research on Key Technologies of Fuel Storage and Supply System for Marine LNG Engines", led by Defon Hubei Heat Exchanger Co., Ltd. and jointly undertaken by the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute, the 711th Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited, the 725th Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited, Dalian University of Technology, CNOOC Energy Development Co., Ltd., China Oilfield Services Limited, and China Classification Society, successfully passed expert acceptance at the Industrial Development Promotion Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in Beijing. This marks the successful conclusion of this national-level research project, which embodies the collaborative efforts of many parties, and also bears witness to Defon's decade-long growth and breakthroughs in the field of marine new energy.
Project Breakthroughs: A Decade of Sharpening the Sword, Collaboration Creates Excellence
The project was officially approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2014. Over the course of nearly a decade of research and development, all participating institutions worked closely together with complementary roles, successfully completing all research tasks including overall system design of marine LNG fuel storage and supply systems, core component development, monitoring and safety system development, key technology integration and full-process test verification.
All approved technical indicators were fully met, and the project's established goals were successfully achieved.
The project has yielded a series of fruitful results:
Completed 14 technical reports, 15 sets of drawings and process documents, published 18 papers, obtained 9 authorized utility model patents, registered 4 software copyrights, developed high‑ and low‑pressure LNG fuel gas supply system test prototypes that received CCS Marine Product Test Certificates, verified the low‑pressure supply system through actual vessel trials and put it into operation, and drafted 6 provisions of the "Rules for Natural Gas Fuel Application on Ships", which have been promulgated as industry standards, and prepared 8 operation training guidance documents.
The project took the lead in breaking through the core technologies of high‑pressure gas supply systems for marine engines, successfully developing key equipment such as high‑pressure vaporizers, high‑pressure cryogenic valves, submerged pumps, and high‑/low‑pressure fuel gas supply monitoring and safety systems. These related technologies and products have been widely applied on vessels both domestically and internationally, obtaining certifications from internationally recognized classification societies including CCS, ABS, LR, BV, and RINA. High‑pressure vaporizers have been successfully exported to countries such as Singapore, achieving marketization and internationalization of technological achievements.
The advancement of the project has also served as an important catalyst for Defon's transformation and upgrading:
In December 2014, the marine LNG fuel storage and supply system technology project was listed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as a national industrialization R&D project, which drove Defon to formally expand from its single heat exchanger business into the field of new‑energy marine LNG equipment, embarking on a new journey of independent R&D for core green marine equipment.
Building on the technical accumulation from the project, Defon continued to deepen its expertise, achieving breakthroughs across the entire chain:
In 2018, a 1:1 test bench was built according to actual vessel usage scenarios, laying a solid experimental foundation for system development.
In 2022, the "Marine LNG High‑ and Low‑Pressure Storage and Gas Supply System" received the CCS Product Test Certificate.
By 2025, Defon's products have been successfully applied on vessels such as the Wanbang Shipping No. 01 cargo ship, significantly reducing fuel costs and pollutant emissions, injecting core momentum into the high‑quality development of green shipping.
[The successful completion of the project would not have been possible without the strong support of all parties]
Here, Defon Hubei would like to express its sincere gratitude to
Hubei Provincial Office of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense
Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute
The 711th Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited
The 725th Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited
Dalian University of Technology
CNOOC Energy Development Co., Ltd.
China Oilfield Services Limited
China Classification Society
We would also like to thank the experts, professors, and surveyors who provided consultation, technical review, and inspection for this project;
And special thanks to Wuhan Jiaosheng New Energy Engineering Co., Ltd., our partner for the vessel validation trials.
It is precisely through the collective efforts of everyone
that the technological achievements of this long‑term research effort have been successfully realized.
Defon will continue to deepen its presence in the marine new energy sector,
strengthen industry‑university‑research‑application collaboration,
and drive the industry's green transformation with core technologies.
We thank all our partners — let us join hands to build a green future for the shipping industry!
