Fujian installs the world's first 20-megawatt offshore wind turbines in Zhangpu county, Zhangzhou. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Fujian province's ocean economy grew faster than its overall GDP in the first quarter of 2026, supported by continued industrial upgrading and maritime technological development.

The province maintained a leading position among China's coastal regions in aquatic product output, export value, and mariculture scale, official data showed.

Growth was driven by advances in marine equipment manufacturing and emerging deep-sea technologies. Key projects included the commencement of construction on a 17,200-metric-ton Antarctic krill fishing and processing vessel, reported to be the largest of its kind in China. The province also delivered an 18,000-ton offshore engineering vessel and a 41,000 DWT high-end liquid cargo ship.

Fujian has also installed the world's first 20-megawatt offshore wind turbines and completed testing of a direct seawater electrolysis system for hydrogen production that does not require desalination.

Aquatic product output rose 4.56 percent year-on-year to about 2.34 million tons, supported by an expanded deep-sea aquaculture capacity of more than 200,000 cubic meters and developments in the seed industry, including the breeding of premium wakame varieties.

Emerging maritime industries expanded by more than 10 percent, supported by policy measures aimed at strengthening the marine economy.

Coastal tourism also showed strong growth. Xiamen reported a 30.14 percent increase in yacht and sailboat traffic during the Spring Festival holiday period.