Shandong, an economic powerhouse on China's east coast, has seen a booming marine economy in recent years as the province has been ramping up efforts to spur ocean-related industries and environmental protection.

An employee manages cargo bound for South Africa at Qingdao Port, Shandong province. [Photo by Zhang Jingang/For China Daily]

According to official statistics, Shandong's gross ocean product reached 1.49 trillion yuan ($220.51 billion) in 2021, accounting for 18 percent of the region's GDP and 16.5 percent of the national gross marine product. The province's total marine economy ranks second in China.

Shandong has given full play to its advantages in the overall development of sea and land resources. Efforts have been made to promote the allocation of resources at a higher level and fuel the development of emerging marine industries such as marine biological medicine, and marine engineering equipment manufacturing.

The province is promoting high-quality development in the marine economy, and efforts have been made to accelerate marine sci-tech innovation, improve the marine development capacity, and foster and strengthen emerging marine industries of strategic importance.

Shandong is also working to develop marine transportation and trade industries. In the first half of this year, Shandong's coastal ports handled 940 million metric tons of cargo, ranking first among all coastal provinces in China, up 5.5 percent year-on-year.