On October 28, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), together with China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), signed a contract with COSCO Shipping Lines, a subsidiary of China COSCO Shipping for the construction of six 13,600TEU conventional fuel-powered large container ships in the form of RMB settlement. It is reported that on October 18, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding and Canada’s Seaspan had signed six ships of the same type in the form of RMB settlement.
The 13600TEU large container ship is independently developed and designed by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, with an overall length of about 336 meters, a beam of 51 meters, a depth of 30.2 meters, a maximum loading capacity of 14,096TEU and 2,000 refrigerated container spaces.
Classed by China Classification Society (CCS), this ship adopts the latest design concepts and is equipped with high-efficiency main engine, energy-saving devices, shaft generator, high-voltage shore power system, ultra-low-resistance anti-fouling paint and desulfurization equipment.
With low energy consumption, high speed and excellent green performance, it meets the requirements of the latest international environmental regulations and can adapt to the future needs of green fuel conversion, providing customers with efficient and economical marine transportation equipment solutions. According to the plan, the construction of the first ship of this series will start in November 2025, and all the ships are scheduled to be completed and delivered in 2027 year.
In recent years, the number of cases of settlement in RMB in China’s shipbuilding sector has continued to increase, which reflects, from one side, the rising international status of RMB and the rapid development of China’s shipbuilding industry. And the adoption of RMB settlement helps to reduce exchange risk, enhance the profitability of Chinese shipbuilders and improve market competitiveness. For shipowners, it can reduce financing costs and improve trade efficiency, truly realizing a win-win situation.
The container transportation business of COSCO Shipping Lines spreads all over the world, and the total fleet capacity reaches 527 ships, about 3.26 million TEUs, and the carrying capacity ranks among the top in the world.
It is understood that after the completion and delivery of the batch of container ships, a part of them will be put into the Far East-Mexico express voyage which will soon be extended to call at the port of Chancay, Peru; and the others will be put into the Europe-South America West route.
COSCO Shipping Lines and Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding have a good cooperation relationship, and the two sides have cooperated in the construction of a number of container ship projects, such as 9400TEU, 10000TEU, 14500TEU, etc.
Among them, the 14,500 TEU container ship is the largest wide container ship of “New Panama Type” which can navigate the New Panama Canal. The signing of the new order will further strengthen the cornerstone of friendly cooperation between the two sides and enhance the competitiveness and influence of Chinese shipbuilding and shipping enterprises in the international market.
Since the beginning of this year, the global large container ship market has continued to thrive. Hudong-Zhonghua has achieved twice the result with half the effort by launching new ship types and accepting new orders. According to the statistics, Hudong-Zhonghua has received four batches and three types of orders for a total of 21 large container ships this year, of which the amount settled in RMB has reached more than RMB 15 billion, making new contributions to the internationalization of RMB.