A high-end forum focusing on the application of modern technologies in marine industries was held on Dec 6 in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province.

During the forum, an online platform that can provide professional marine engineering related information to officials, scholars and experts, was official launched.

The National Marine Data and Information Service signed strategic cooperation agreements with the Zhoushan municipal government, the Institute for Public Safety Research at Tsinghua University, China Ship Research and Development Academy, and Huawei Technology Co Ltd.

More than 400 representatives from institutions under the Ministry of Natural Resources of China as well as enterprises, research institutes and universities engaged in marine industries attended the forum and discussed how to use cutting-edge technologies to boost marine industries in China.

Ocean satellite-related technologies are crucial for gathering marine information and will become a hot issue in marine research in the future, said Jiang Xingwei, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the National Satellite Ocean Application Service.

Pan Delu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and research professor at the Second Institute of Oceanography, said that Zhoushan should give full play to its geographical advantages and apply satellite remote sensing technologies in marine industries in an effort to play a leading role in the construction of national big data projects.

Zhoushan, China's first state-level new area themed on the maritime economy, was designated as a national demonstration area for the application of smart marine technologies.

According to local authorities, the city will work on the construction of a ocean comprehensive perception network and a marine communication network, and build itself into a leading demonstration area for marine technology applications and smart marine industries.