The Dalian Seafarer Skills Competition successfully held.

Recently, the practical finals of the 2026 Dalian Seafarer Workers' Skills Competition were held at Dalian Maritime University, with 60 contestants from 19 entities participating. This is the first time such a competition has been held in Dalian, organized by the Liaoning Maritime Safety Administration and the Dalian Federation of Trade Unions, hosted by the Dalian Maritime Safety Administration, and co-organized by Dalian Maritime University and the Liaoning Province Seafarers Service Industry Association.

The competition was divided into three stages: an online qualification test, a theoretical exam, and practical finals. Since the application for the competition opened on October 8, a total of 3,574 contestants participated in the qualification round. The finals featured two events: Ship Navigation and Ship Engineering. The practical tests included five subjects: navigation preparation, ship navigation, emergency handling of engine room faults, measurement and analysis of diesel engine crankshaft deflection, and troubleshooting of marine electrical circuits, focusing on participants' on-site operations and emergency response capabilities. In the engineering competition, participants completed tasks such as installing shift tables, taking turning gear readings, and analyzing the crankshaft alignment status within 25 minutes. Factors like measurement accuracy and diagram consistency with cylinder numbers were included in the score. In the navigation competition, participants gave helm and engine commands in English and made avoidance decisions during simulated navigation, with actions requiring "early, significant, wide, and clear" maneuvers. They also faced random emergency scenarios such as steering gear failure, main engine failure, or total power failure on the ship.

After intense competition, Captain Wu Quan from Dalian Ocean University won first place in the Ship Navigation category, while Chief Engineer Qiao Guohua from the Dalian Port Tugboat Division of Liaoning Port Co., Ltd. secured first place in the Ship Engineering category. Captain Zhang Cheng from the CCCC First Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd. and Captain Liu Xinzhuo from Dalian Haida International Ship Management Co., Ltd. won second and third places, respectively, in the Ship Navigation category. Chief Engineer Li Yaguang and First Engineer Cai Liang from the COSCO Shipping Seafarer Management Co., Ltd. Dalian Branch secured second and third places in the Ship Engineering category. Li Haibin from Dalian Huayang Maritime Co., Ltd., along with 12 other contestants, received the Outstanding Award in the Ship Navigation category, while Wang Chao from Dalian Chunan Ship Management Co., Ltd., along with 12 others, won the Outstanding Award in the Ship Engineering category. As per regulations, the first-place winners in each category will enjoy relevant policy support for seafarer examinations and license renewals.

The competition, themed "Building Dreams for the Deep Blue · Craftsmanship Leading the Way," aims to promote the spirit of maritime craftsmanship, enhance seafarers' professional skills, serve the strategies of building a strong transportation and maritime nation, and contribute to the development of Dalian as the international shipping hub in Northeast Asia.

It is reported that the number of registered seafarers in Dalian has exceeded 60,000, accounting for nearly 80 percent of the province's total registered seafarers. The training capacity for maritime professionals in Dalian reaches 4,400 people per year, ranking first in the country. The scale of international seafarer dispatch also ranks among the top in the nation. As an important international shipping hub in Northeast Asia, the professional quality of the seafarer workforce in Dalian is closely linked to shipping safety and service standards. This competition has provided a practical platform for evaluating the professionalization and career development of the seafarer workforce.