CSSC shipyards show robust growth in 2024

Three Shanghai-based shipyards delivered 69 vessels and received new shipbuilding orders for 128 units in 2024, according to their parent company China State Shipbuilding Corp.

This represents a year-on-year growth of 19 percent and 70 percent, respectively, the world's largest shipbuilder said.

All the new orders are medium to high-end models and more than 20 billion yuan ($2.74 billion) worth of these signed orders will be settled in renminbi, solidifying the nation's position as a shipbuilding powerhouse, the State-owned conglomerate added.

Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co Ltd signed an order with QatarEnergy in April to build 18 super-large liquefied natural gas carriers with a maximum capacity of 271,000 cubic meters. It is so far the world's largest single order for LNG tankers.

The two parties signed another order for six ships on Sept 9, cementing Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding's leading position as a builder of LNG carriers amid fierce global competition.

Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding delivered a record eight LNG carriers in a single year. The shipbuilder delivered the 174,000 cubic meters LNG carrier Greenergy Pearl on Dec 18, eight months ahead of schedule.

Its same-town peer Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) Co Ltd also displayed its shipbuilding prowess on Nov 25 by delivering the nation's first large-sized LNG carrier featuring Mark III technology, two months ahead of schedule.

Named Al Shelila, the vessel was the first of the six 175,000 cubic meters LNG carriers ordered by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co Logistics and Services in 2022.

Following this order, Jiangnan Shipyard became the nation's first shipbuilder to construct LNG carriers equipped with the Mark III membrane system.

Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co Ltd, also a subsidiary of CSSC, created another record in China's shipbuilding history by becoming the first to cross the 100 million deadweight ton mark in terms of total ships completed, after delivering an FPSO, or floating production, storage and offloading, vessel named Jaguar to Netherlands-based SBM Offshore on Nov 14.

The FPSO is the 22nd vessel delivered by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding in 2024, fulfilling its whole-year delivery target one and a half months ahead of schedule.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding has delivered a total of 579 ships and offshore platforms, or 125.87 million dwts.

Deadweight tonnage is a key indicator to measure the transportation capacity of ships, as well as one of the gauges recognized worldwide to measure the construction capacity of a shipbuilding company.

Since delivering its first ship on June 22, 2003, Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding has completed and delivered vessels at a rate of 27 ships, or 4.76 million dwts, annually.

Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding delivered the nation's first domestically built large cruise ship Adora Magic City in 2023. It is currently working on China's second domestically produced large cruise ship Adora Flora City, which is expected to be completed at the end of 2026.

"In comparison with the first one, the second home-built cruise ship is more efficient in terms of design and construction, with higher quality and standards," said Chen Gang, general manager of Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding.

As of Dec 21, 91 percent of the cruise vessel's total construction workload had been completed, and the hull structure construction is well underway, said the shipyard.

wang_ying@chinadaily.com.cn