On 17 April 2008, YICT welcomed the Yu Kun, the first ship designed and developed in China for use as a teaching vessel for ocean shipping and the world's most advanced ship of its type.
The vessel, which is owned by Dalian Maritime University (DMU), was launched at Berth No. 3 in YICT's West Port –- a sign of increasing cooperation between YICT and DMU on educational initiatives. Gao Hongfeng, China's Vice-Minister of Transport, presented a flag to the captain to commemorate the event at a ceremony attended by over 300 guests.
The Yu Kun is endowed with cutting-edge instruments for scientific research as well as for experiments in transportation, maritime and wheel engineering. The 2,250-tonne ship measures about 116 metres wide and has a 5.4-metre draft. It also has facilities for 40 instructors and crew members and 196 students.
The design and construction process –- carried out by Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute and the Wuhan dockyard of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation –- took nearly six years.
The launching ceremony at YICT was attended by Ashok Mahapatra, Head of Maritime Training and the Human Element Section of the International Maritime Organization's Maritime Safety Division; Magdalena Álvarez Arza, Spain's Development Minister, Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, Director of the International Labour Standards Department of the International Labour Organization, Liu Jianbin, Director of the Shenzhen Maritime Safety Administration of China, Wang Zuwen, President of DMU, and other guests of the first China (Shenzhen) Seamen Development Convention and the 2008 Shenzhen International Maritime Forum.