On March 1, the first vessel built by Hengli Shipbuilding (Dalian) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Hengli Heavy Industry Group, was smoothly hited the water, marking the major breakthrough of Hengli Heavy Industry in the field of shipbuilding from “0” to “1”.
The first vessel launched this time is a bulk carrier with 61,000 tons deadweight capacity. With an overall length of 199.9 meters, a beam of 34 meters, a depth of 16.3 meters, a design draft of 11.85 meters and a design speed of 13.0 knots, the vessel is classified by China Classification Society(CCS). As the first vessel manufactured by Hengli Heavy Industry, it was officially started on January 28, 2023.
Hengli Heavy Industry, formerly known as STX Dalian Shipbuilding Co Ltd, was reportedly the largest foreign-owned shipyard in China. The company was founded in 2006, and declared bankruptcy and liquidation on December 20, 2015. In July 2022, Hengli Heavy Industry Group Co, Ltd, a subsidiary of Hengli Group, acquired STX Dalian Shipbuilding at a price of RMB 2.11 billion (about US$293 million).
In the fourth quarter of 2022, Hengli Group placed an order for four 20,000 DWT bulk carriers with Hengli Heavy Industry, marking the official restart of Hengli Heavy Industry’s shipbuilding business.
At the beginning of 2023, Hengli Heavy Industrial Park was formally operated, and Hengli Shipbuilding (Dalian) Co. Ltd. has gathered more than 30 domestic and foreign well-known experts in design, quality and production to set up a ship design research center. Meanwhile, Hengli Heavy Industry keeps upgrading and remodeling the production line, and focuses on the construction of six major sectors, including shipbuilding, marine engineering, engine, equipment manufacturing, precision casting and green building materials. After full operation, the industrial park will have an annual steel processing capacity of 1 million tons, shipbuilding capacity of 6.3 million deadweight tons, the annual delivery of 40 vessels.
Notably, in February 2024, SEA TRADERS returned to Hengli Heavy Industry to place an order for four Kamsarmax bulk carriers, increasing its bulk carrier order book at the shipyard to 14 vessels. This is the first order announced by the shipyard so far this year. The first 10 82,000 dwt bulk carriers were built at a cost of $35 million per vessel, which would make the total value of the order $490 million ( about RMB 3.526 billion) for the 14 vessels.
Since the commencement of production, Hengli Heavy Industry has not only been committed to undertaking new ship orders to expand its market share, but also formally entered into the field of large-scale international container ship construction by cooperating with Samsung Heavy Industries, the South Korean shipbuilding giant, in the construction of 15,000 TEU container ships.
In addition to shipbuilding, Hengli Engine (Dalian) Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of Hengli Heavy Industry, reached a patent license agreement with MAN Energy Solutions on July 31 this year, marking the official launch of Hengli’s engine building business. According to the agreement, MAN Energy Solutions will provide full-cycle technical support and quality guidance to help Hengli Engine (Dalian) quickly improve the quality of engine production and provide more advanced, reliable and environmentally friendly ship power solutions for domestic and foreign shipowners.