Craftsmanship in Shipbuilding, Forging Skills: 2025 "Wuchuan Cup" Pan-Yangtze River Delta Welding Skills Competition Kicks Off in Wuhu

The mighty Yangtze flows, gathering master craftsmanship.

On the morning of November 29, 2025, the 2025 Pan-Yangtze River Delta "Wuchuan Cup" Vocational Skills Competition for Welders in the Shipbuilding Industry commenced grandly.

Jointly organized by the Anhui Provincial National Defense, Postal and Telecommunications Trade Union and the Wuhu Municipal Federation of Trade Unions, the competition was co-hosted by Wuhu Shipyard Co., Ltd. and Anhui Mechanical and Electrical Polytechnic.

For the first time, the event achieved cross-provincial and municipal collaboration, bringing together welding elites from six provinces and one city to compete for the honor of being the "Steel Tailors" of shipbuilding.

Li Heman, Party Secretary and Vice Chairman of the Wuhu Municipal Federation of Trade Unions; Li Shaozhong, Vice Chairman of the Anhui Provincial National Defense, Postal and Telecommunications Trade Union; Cai Xiangdong, Third-Level Investigator of the Wuhu Municipal Federation of Trade Unions; Professor and Doctoral Supervisor Miao Yugang from the College of Shipbuilding Engineering, Harbin Engineering University; Jiang Sheng, Deputy Party Secretary of Anhui Mechanical and Electrical Polytechnic; Zhang Zhao, Party Secretary and Chairman of the Board of Wuhu Shipyard Co., Ltd., along with other leaders and distinguished guests attended the opening ceremony.

Representatives from government, industry, academia, and research institutions, along with all competitors and judges, jointly witnessed the occasion.

This competition is a concrete practice to thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and its subsequent plenary sessions and to deepen the reform of the industrial workforce development system.

At the opening ceremony, Zhang Zhao, Party Secretary and Chairman of the Board of the co-organizer Wuhu Shipyard Co., Ltd., delivered a welcome speech.

He warmly welcomed all leaders, guests, and participating teams. He emphasized that welding technology, as the "skeletal framework" and "lifeline" of shipbuilding, directly determines the structural safety and construction quality of vessels.

Zhang Zhao pointed out that as a modern shipbuilding enterprise with a century-long heritage, Wuhu Shipyard has always regarded the cultivation of a highly-skilled workforce as the core driving force for its development.

Hosting this competition is both an honor and a responsibility. He expressed the hope that the event would promote learning and practice through competition, comprehensively drive the high-quality development of ship welding technology, and contribute "Wuchuan" strength to the national strategies of building a strong maritime country and a strong manufacturing nation.

Li Shaozhong, Vice Chairman of the Anhui Provincial National Defense, Postal and Telecommunications Trade Union, delivered a speech on behalf of the organizers.

He noted that the shipbuilding industry is a strategic sector supporting the national economy and defense security. As a crucial hub for China's shipbuilding industry, the Pan-Yangtze River Delta region shoulders the mission of building a strong maritime country.

Li Shaozhong stated that welders are hailed as the "Steel Tailors" of shipbuilding. Every weld seam carries the life and safety of a vessel and forms the solid foundation for the industry's high-quality development.

He stressed that this competition is not merely a contest of skills but also a tempering of spirit, aiming to further promote the spirit of model workers, the spirit of labor, and the spirit of craftsmanship. It seeks to inspire workers to pursue professional excellence—"love the job you do, specialize and excel in it"—and to strengthen regional technical exchanges and synergize development efforts.

Promoting deep integration of industry, academia, research, and application is a key highlight of this competition.

At the opening ceremony, the "Polar Intelligent Welding Technology and Equipment Laboratory," jointly established by Wuhu Shipyard Co., Ltd. and Harbin Engineering University, was officially inaugurated.

Zhang Zhao, Chairman of Wuhu Shipyard Co., Ltd., and Professor Miao Yugang from the College of Shipbuilding Engineering at Harbin Engineering University jointly unveiled the plaque for the laboratory.

This lab will focus on addressing welding challenges for high-end vessel types like polar ships in extreme environments, dedicating itself to the research, development, and application of intelligent welding technologies, thereby providing more cutting-edge technical support for polar equipment.

Following the unveiling ceremony, Professor Miao Yugang delivered a special report titled "Research on Welding Technology for Low-Temperature Materials of LNG Carriers."

The report provided an accessible and in-depth explanation, systematically elaborating on the welding challenges and solutions for the core storage and transportation systems of LNG carriers, covering material properties, process difficulties, and technological frontiers.

The report indicated that this involves not only weld seam optimization but also a set of "full-chain, all-element" systematic innovations encompassing design, materials, processes, and equipment.

The research work of Professor Miao's team is a vivid practice of "writing papers on ten-thousand-ton ships and integrating achievements into the national maritime strategy," embodying the extension of the "Great Country Craftsman" spirit in translating scientific and technological strength into national competitiveness within the research field.

To ensure the competition proceeds under the principles of fairness, justice, and openness, a solemn oath-taking ceremony was arranged during the opening ceremony.

Zhang Shuaimou, Vice President of Anhui Mechanical and Electrical Polytechnic, took the oath first as the representative of the judges. He pledged to strictly abide by judging discipline, respect all competitors, officiate courteously, and judge impartially to ensure the smooth conduct of the competition.

Subsequently, Han Fucai, a senior technician from the Processing Workshop of Wuhu Shipyard, took the oath as the representative of the competitors. He pledged to follow the judges' instructions, adhere to competition rules, compete with style and skill, and fully showcase the exquisite craftsmanship and positive spirit of skilled talent in the new era.

(Judge Representative: Zhang Shuaimou, Vice President, Anhui Mechanical and Electrical Polytechnic)

(Competitor Representative: Senior Technician Han Fucai)

Amidst warm applause, Li Heman, Party Secretary and Vice Chairman of the Wuhu Municipal Federation of Trade Unions, solemnly declared: "The 2025 Pan-Yangtze River Delta 'Wuchuan Cup' Vocational Skills Competition for Welders in the Shipbuilding Industry is now officially open!"

With this announcement, this grand gathering of talents from all corners entered the competition phase.

This year's competition closely aligns with the core demands of shipbuilding, focusing on manual and semi-automatic welding. It comprehensively covers common methods of ship welding technology, involving three typical types of materials and four key processes.

To enhance professionalism and authority, the competition innovatively introduced three non-destructive testing (NDT) technologies: RT radiography, UT ultrasonic testing, and PT liquid penetrant testing, ensuring scientific and precise evaluation.

Compared to previous editions, this year's competition added projects for pulse TIG welding and the welding of stainless steel and aluminum alloys, filling gaps in industry competitions. It fully leverages the process expertise of Wuhu Shipyard and the academic strengths of Anhui Mechanical and Electrical Polytechnic to ensure the event's high standards and forward-looking nature.

Following the agenda, under the guidance of staff, attending leaders, guests, and competitors visited the Wuhu Shipyard History Museum, shipbuilding berths, and docks in an orderly manner, experiencing firsthand the profound historical heritage of this century-old enterprise and the majestic momentum of modern shipbuilding.

From internal technical training within an enterprise to a regional industry-wide event; from contests of traditional welding skills to the deep integration of new materials, new processes, and intelligence—the evolution and upgrading of the "Wuchuan Cup" not only inherits the craftsmanship spirit of the century-old shipyard but also builds a solid platform for forging core talent for China's shipbuilding industry.

Centered around the theme "Craftsmanship in Shipbuilding, Forging Skills," this competition provides a stage for exchange and competition, from which a group of "Golden Medal Welders" mastering advanced processes and intelligent equipment will emerge.

The hosting of this event is bound to inject a powerful and novel impetus of the "Soul of Craftsmanship" into the high-quality development of the shipbuilding industry in the Pan-Yangtze River Delta region and even across the nation.

Contributed by | Hu Lei, Party-Mass Work Department