Jiang Hai Zhi Da 1, China's first 20,000-ton ship capable of navigating seas and rivers [Photo/zhoushan.cn]

Jiang Hai Zhi Da 1, China's first 20,000-ton ship capable of navigating seas and rivers, arrived at Zhoushan Port on Aug 20.

The ship was designed and built in Zhoushan and is operated by a local company. It had delivered 1.36 million metric tons of cargo as of July 31, with a total operating income of 25.83 million yuan ($3.66 million).

Construction on the ship started on April 19, 2017. Just one year later, it set out from Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, carrying 20,000 tons of iron ore with it.

Ever since its first trip to Anhui province, the ship has continued to run regularly between Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang province and Zhangjiagang Port in Jiangsu province, according to Hong Songding, a director of the company that operates the ship.

Hong said that the ship is in good condition, with all technical indexes meeting national shipbuilding standards, and has an average speed of 15 knots and an average cargo load of 21,220 tons.

The ship's total fuel consumption is about 15 percent lower than that of other similar ships capable of navigating seas and rivers, added Hong.

According to local authorities, Zhoushan has designed several new ships since Jiang Hai Zhi Da 1, including dry bulk carriers, container ships and refrigerator ships.