In 2023, Shanghai Ship Research and Design Institute (SDARI) won the design orders for more than 33 new ships of 10 types, including 114,000 dwt Aframax/LR2 tankers, 75,000 dwt LR1 tankers, 49,000 dwt /50,000 dwt MR tankers, 11,300 dwt stainless steel chemical tankers, 17,000 dwt, 37,000 dwt and 7,850 dwt asphalt tankers, etc.The company has established a good reputation in the industry for its design taking into account operational efficiency, safety and environmental protection.
SDARI is one of the largest research and design institutions in the field of ship design in China featuring the largest scale, the most abundant ship types and the highest market share. Under the leadership of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), SDARI has always been making excellent contributions to the green and sustainable development of the world’s shipping industry by providing competitive ship types and high-quality and efficient design services with its strong innovative strength.
In 2021, the first generation of Handysize/MR (30,000 to 50,000 dwt) tankers design by SDARI, which adopted a new design concept, was successfully delivered, and all the performance indexes of the tankers reached the international leading level. Simultaneously, SDARI started the research and development of the second generation of MR-type tankers. The 49,000/50,000 dwt oil chemical tanker maintains the advantages of cargo hold capacity and deadweight. The tanker is equipped with self-developed propellers, conduits and hubcap fins, which reduces the daily fuel consumption by 3% to 5% compared with the domestic counterparts. Thanks to the obvious advantages in comprehensive indexes, performance and cost, this type of ship has realised batch orders.
Based on the market demand, SDARI has successfully built a series of Panamax/LR1 (60,000 to 80,000 dwt) ship types, including 32.2m, 36m and 38m ship width schemes. In 2015, SDARI designed 38-metre wide LR1 tankers for German shipowner REEDEREI NSB, with all indicators reaching the international advanced level.In 2023, the construction of 36-metre wide LR1 tankers designed by SDARI for three Greek shipowners has begun. The fuel consumption index of this type of ship has reached the international leading level, especially the maximisation of cabin capacity on the basis of the same scale, which is 2% to 3% higher than similar products, and has obvious cost advantages.
As for Aframax/LR2 (100,000 to 120,000 dwt) tankers, SDARI has designed and built two generations of products.In 2015, SDARI developed and designed the first generation of 115,000dwt Aframax LR2 tankers for Cardiff. The project met the strict requirements of the world-renowned tanker operator and reached the international advanced level. The second generation of 114,000 dwt Aframax/LR2 tanker newly developed and designed by the institute has a 10% reduction in daily fuel consumption compared with the first generation, and more than 400 tonnes less steel than the domestic conventional design. The number of modules of this type of tanker has been significantly optimised to further reduce the construction cost, which is favoured by shipowners.
In the field of VLCCs, SSE started with the first generation of COSCO 300,000 dwt VLCCs developed in 2012. And its newly developed generation of Suezmax oil tankers and VLCCs, including 158,000 dwt crude oil tankers, 153,000 dwt shuttle oil tankers, as well as 300,000 dwt VLCCs, 310,000 dwt VLCCs, and 320,000 dwt VLCCs, are all at the advanced level in the market in terms of performance indexes.
The 124 stainless steel chemical tankers built and delivered so far are an important part of the liquid cargo ships developed and designed by SDARI. With its advanced, flexible and customised design, this ship type has become a brand ship type and a sought-after product in the market. The series started in 2003 with the 3,000 dwt ship model, and since then, SDARI has designed and built 3,600 dwt, 9,000 dwt and other stainless steel chemical tankers sequentially.
SDARI has designed and built a series of duplex stainless steel chemical tankers of 38,000 dwt, 38,800 dwt, 41,000 dwt, 49,000 dwt, etc. Among them, 49,000 dwt stainless steel chemical tanker is the world largest, which won the “Chemical/Tanker of the Year 2019” award from Riviera Maritime Media.
As early as 2005, SDARI has successfully developed and designed the first 5,900 tonnes asphalt ship. Up to now, SSE has designed and delivered 35 asphalt ships of different deadweight tonnages such as 3,500dwt, 7,500 dwt, 13,000 dwt, 17,000 dwt and 37,000 dwt, which is the largest terms of market share in the world. Among them, 37,000 dwt asphalt ship is the world’s largest independent cargo tank asphalt ship, set up four independent liquid cargo tanks, each tank is separated by longitudinal and transverse bulkheads into two pairs of cargo compartments, which can carry petroleum asphalt (not greater than 170 degrees Celsius) or refined oil with flash point greater than 60 degrees Celsius.
In recent years, SDARI has carried out another comprehensive and deep looking forward research on WHALE liquid cargo ship series, and made a series of gratifying achievements. Alternative fuels such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, ammonia and other main fuel tankers have achieved full coverage, and methanol dual-fuel MR-type tankers will be built soon. Particularly, new green technologies including sails, windsocks, bubble drag reduction and other new technologies have also completed the application research of relevant ship types.