Shandong’s ship inspection reform takes effect: shifting from handling procedures separately to integrated one-stop completion.

In the past, when building a new ship, construction inspection, ship identification number application, and confirmation of important dates were handled by two separate departments: ship inspection and maritime affairs. Shipbuilding companies had to coordinate with both sides, submit applications separately, and repeatedly provide multiple sets of materials. The process involved many steps and a long cycle. If any step was delayed or queued, it directly postponed the shipbuilding schedule, leading to high institutional transaction costs. This was a persistent bottleneck faced by many shipbuilding companies in Shandong.

Drawing on the Ministry of Transport's reform experience with the "One Matter for Ship Sailing" initiative and implementing the State Council's reform directive of "Efficiently Completing One Matter," the Jinan Ship Technology Service Center in Shandong Province, in collaboration with the Weifang Maritime Bureau, broke down departmental barriers. They restructured the process from the perspective of enterprises, shifting from "handling matters by department" to "integrated handling based on enterprise needs." They introduced the "One Matter for Shipbuilding" integrated reform, forming a replicable and scalable "Nine Ones" standardized reform system. This system enables one-time application, a single set of materials, parallel reviews, data reuse, and unified certification issuance, thereby improving the quality and efficiency of shipbuilding inspections and maritime administrative services.

Institutional First: Building a Closed-Loop Reform Framework

The reform adheres to a problem-oriented approach, systematically reviewing the boundaries of ship inspection and maritime responsibilities, business bottlenecks, and enterprise demands. A reform implementation plan was introduced, bundling high-frequency related matters such as ship construction inspection, confirmation of important ship dates, and ship identification number applications into a joint handling list.

Both parties standardized acceptance conditions, key review points, and processing timelines, and compiled business specification guidelines. A visual business process flowchart was created, clearly presenting all process nodes, responsible parties, and transfer paths. Supporting materials, such as simplified service guides and online application manuals, were published to address enterprises' confusion about "how to handle, where to handle, and what to bring." Additionally, a unified application form and a streamlined list of required materials were innovatively designed, enabling "one form for multiple departments to share and reuse," eliminating duplicate form filling and material submission. Ultimately, a complete "Nine Ones" outcome system was formed, including the implementation plan, matter list, specification guidelines, process flowchart, service guide, online application manual, standardized application form, streamlined material list, and reform summary report, providing standardized institutional support for the reform's implementation.

Process Reengineering: Parallel Approvals Unlock Reform Benefits

The most significant change in the reform is the shift from the previous sequential approval model to parallel and simultaneous reviews. Before the reform, enterprises had to obtain ship inspection commencement confirmation before applying to the maritime department for a ship identification number, resulting in long waiting periods. After the reform, enterprises only need to submit a complete set of application materials once. Ship inspection conducts on-site construction inspections simultaneously, while the maritime department concurrently processes the ship identification number application. Internal coordination eliminates the need for enterprises to shuttle back and forth.

Qingzhou Dingke Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd. is a direct beneficiary of the reform. Before the reform, handling similar matters required staff to make at least three to four trips and prepare two sets of duplicate materials. After the reform, when the company built the "Lu Jining Jun 0089" vessel, it submitted a complete set of materials in one go. The ship inspection completed the on-site inspection and issued the commencement document, while the maritime department simultaneously conducted an online review. The overall processing time was reduced by more than 50%, application materials were significantly streamlined, and the number of trips required by the company was greatly reduced. "Fewer trips, fewer materials, and controllable timelines—every day saved in starting construction translates into tangible benefits," said the company's representative.

Data runs more, and enterprises run less. The reform promotes full-process online handling and contactless approvals. By leveraging electronic license calls and cross-departmental material sharing, any materials that can be verified through sharing are no longer required to be repeatedly submitted by enterprises. Conditional acceptance and notification commitments are implemented, delivering real convenience to shipbuilding companies.

Replicable Practices: Exploring a New Paradigm for Ship Inspection and Maritime Services

The "One Matter for Shipbuilding" reform achieves three major transformations: the handling model shifts from "separate handling and sequential processing" to "integrated handling and parallel processing"; business standards shift from "each department managing its own segment" to "unified standards and seamless coordination"; and the service approach shifts from enterprises seeking multiple departments to departments internally coordinating to serve enterprises.

The reform pilot not only effectively reduces institutional transaction costs for shipbuilding enterprises but also creates a standardized model for cross-departmental joint handling in the inland shipbuilding sector. Currently, the pilot primarily covers new shipbuilding businesses in the Weifang jurisdiction, but it has also revealed shortcomings: barriers to automatic data exchange across systems, limited scenarios for reconstruction and modification businesses, and the need for continued efforts in policy promotion and practical training for small and medium-sized shipyards.

Next, the Jinan Ship Technology Service Center, in collaboration with the Weifang Maritime Bureau, will continue to iterate on the reform outcomes: breaking down system data barriers, expanding seamless data verification, incorporating ship reconstruction and major modifications into joint handling scenarios, regularly visiting shipyards for policy promotion and practical guidance, and continuously optimizing and refining the "Nine Ones" outcome system. The goal is to distill and upgrade pilot experiences and promote them across the provincial ship inspection system, providing efficient and collaborative ship inspection administrative services to support the high-quality development of the shipbuilding industry.