Watertight-Bulkhead Fuchuan Ships

Timeline

1. 1331–1335Coastal shipyard at Jinjiang · QuanzhouYards around Quanzhou and Zhangzhou built Fuchuan ships of camphor and cedar: a continuous keel, ribs on both sides, and bulkheads installed bottom-up and caulked with tung oil and hemp to form independent watertight compartments. Each hold could be loaded or unloaded separately with porcelain, silk, and spices; if one compartment took on water, the others retained buoyancy, greatly improving ocean-voyage safety.
2. 1336–1340South China Sea routes · Indian OceanWatertight-bulkhead Fuchuan ships sailed the South China Sea–Malacca–Indian Ocean routes carrying Yuan export porcelain and Southeast Asian goods. Some large Fuchuan ships were fitted with ballistae and firearms for convoy escort, and the bulkhead structure preserved return capability even after battle damage. Accounts of Yuan China by Marco Polo and others praised Chinese ships' bulkheads and rigging, showing the technology was already quite mature.