Chinese aircraft carrier Fujian successfully completed the first sea trial, won 18 of the world’s largest 271,000 cubic meters of ultra-large liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier order, the second domestically built large cruise ship have erection in the dock.
These are the three major events that attracted the most attention in the first half of 2024 for the three major shipbuilding enterprises in Shanghai under China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) – Jiangnan Shipbuilding, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS). Shanghai’s three major shipbuilding enterprises to achieve completion and delivery of 38 ships, received orders for 65 ships, with production and operation indicators exceeding the same period last year.
In the first half of this year, Shanghai’s three major shipbuilding enterprises completed delivery and take orders for the quantity and quality of ships climbing in parallel. Particularly, the highlights of lean, rhythmic and batch shipbuilding have been remarkable.
Among the 38 new ships delivered, including the world’s largest 93,000 m³ very large liquefied gas carriers (VLGC) and 99,000 m³ very large ethane carriers (VLEC) built by Jiangnan Shipbuilding, 7,600 CEU liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel powered large-scale ocean-going PCTC; the world’s first fifth-generation “Changheng Series” 174,000 m³ large-scale LNG carrier built by Hudong-Zhonghua, the world’s first 14,000 m³ LNG bunkering carrier of China’s first river-sea direct delivery; 114,000 DWT Aframax product tankers and 190,000 DWT LNG dual-fuel powered Capesize bulk carriers built by SWS, as well as 12 7,000 TEU medium-sized container ships.
Among the 65 new ship orders undertaken, the proportion of special gas carriers reached over 60%, a record high in the past years. These include the first undertaking of super-large 93,000 m3 liquid ammonia carrier (VLAC), super-large ethane carrier (VLEC), etc., while the successful undertaking of 18 super-large LNG carriers of the world’s largest 271,000 m3 has significantly enhanced the global influence of Shanghai as well as China’s shipbuilding industry in the field of R&D and construction of special gas carriers.
It is worth mentioning that the three major shipbuilding enterprises have seized the major opportunity of the new ship market of eco-friendly fuel container ships, and won a number of orders for 14,000 TEU, 11,000 TEU methanol-fueled reserved large container ships, 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel-powered large containers, as well as 7,000 TEU medium-sized container ships, etc. While enriching the container ships, they further consolidate Shanghai’s position as a global high-end container ship construction center.
At present, the three major shipbuilding enterprises have nearly 80 civil ships under construction, and the production task is very full. They said that they would continue to implement the spirit of the 2024 annual work conference of CSSC, play the three functions of scientific and technological innovation, industrial control, and safety support, accelerate the improvement of the four major capabilities of value creation, talent, reform and innovation, and implementation, and continue to enhance their own core functions and improve the core competitiveness of the production. While ensuring the completion of the production and operation tasks in 2024, the three enterprises will create more new achievements, realize more new breakthroughs, and contribute more to the realization of high-quality development of Shanghai and China’s shipbuilding industry.
