China needs at least 70 Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) to be self-sufficient in transporting its own crude oil, far more than it now controls, the head of the country's top shipping group said on Thursday.

"COSCO wants to expand its VLCC fleet, we're initially looking at 15 tankers, but the rest is up to other shippers," Wei Jiafu, President and CEO of China Overseas Shipping (Group) Co. (COSCO) told reporters in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. A VLCC carries about 2 million barrels.

"China needs 70 VLCCs to carry all of its oil imports."

COSCO operates eight VLCCs now and has another seven under construction. If the company and its Chinese peers can't build enough vessels, then it will charter more, he added.

Separately, state-owned China Shipping (Group) signed a US$450 million contract last weekend to build four VLCCs for delivery in 2009 and 2010, boosting its capacity to 100 million tonnes a year, state media reported.

The report said the company had three VLCCs, with another five due to be delivered in the first half of next year.

China imported 127 million tonnes of crude oil and more than 30 million tonnes of oil products last year, and crude imports are expected to exceed 200 million tonnes in 2010, Xinhua said.

China aims to raise the proportion of its crude oil and products imports carried by Chinese ships to 50 percent after 2010, up from less than 20 percent now, Xinhua reported.

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