Breakthroughs that Shanghai-based shipbuilders made in December indicate the country's growing capacity for producing high-end vessels as it strives to become a global shipbuilding power, experts said.
Three shipyards in Shanghai recently announced successful developments in their respective areas: China's first domestically made cruise ship was put in the water, the world's largest B-tank very large ethane carrier was delivered, and the world's largest container ship was undocked.
The new achievements displayed Chinese shipbuilders' capabilities in shipbuilding technologies, market scale, industrial chains and shipbuilding-related supply chains, said Lin Guolong, director of Shanghai Maritime University's Logistics Research Center.
High-end vessels
"Despite being a world leader in building vessels, China used to build comparatively less technology-intensive ships. Now, China is on course to becoming a shipbuilding power, as more high-end vessels are being built with more technology and innovation input," Lin said.
China's first domestically made cruise ship was placed in the water beside the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co site on Dec 17, which means about 55 percent of its construction has been completed.
Due for delivery in September 2023, the 135,500-gross-ton, Vista-class vessel has begun the phase of interior decorating and system debugging.
"Marine cruise ship building is always challenging, and it was particularly challenging amid the COVID-19 pandemic," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corp, during a video speech at the ceremony for the ship's floating.
He said that despite all the obstacles, Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding's continuous progress in construction work will ensure timely delivery of the vessel.
Its steel sheet cutting ceremony took place over two years ago.
At the floating stage, the 323.6-meter-long, 37.2-meter-wide cruise ship's elimination of remaining stress in the hull structure will help technicians collect data as they measure and verify the vessel to ensure its structural safety and stability.
However, the most challenging part for the Chinese cruise ship builder is just beginning.
Experts said building a cruise ship is "an unprecedented challenge" for China's shipbuilding industry, in terms of its special structure, complexity of craftsmanship, construction difficulties and strict requirements for global supply chain collaboration.
"The cruise ship is a floating modern city that contains everything in life one can imagine, ranging from living and eating to entertainment and shopping," Lin said.
Therefore, every single element of urban life should be brought into the system management of the cruise ship, be it technology, culture or arts, and they should all follow global standards, Lin added.
By its delivery, the cruise ship will be capable of hosting a maximum of 5,246 guests with its 2,125 guest rooms, which range from standard rooms to presidential suites. The ship will also feature plenty of onboard entertainment options.
On Dec 28, the world's first B-tank very large ethane carrier, or VLECthe Pacific Ineos Belstaff-was officially delivered, which is regarded as a new technological breakthrough by Jiangnan Shipyard.
The 230-meter-long, 36.6-meter-wide vessel was researched, developed and designed independently by Jiangnan Shipyard using carbon neutrality. The vessel features four B-type tanks that give it a total capacity of 99,000 cubic meters of ethane.
Hu Keyi, chief expert at China State Shipbuilding Corp-the world's largest shipbuilder-and director of the science and technology committee of Jiangnan Shipyard, a unit of the CSSC, said B-type tanks are regarded as the most vital part of a VLEC.
Compared with the construction of Type-A very large gas carriers, from which Jiangnan Shipyard has garnered rich experience, B tanks demand higher standards and requirements in terms of processing methodology, quality control, technical standards, precision of assembling and welding, deformation control and installation, said Zhou Qinghua, deputy chief technologist of the 99,000-cubic-meter VLEC.
The shipyard is currently in the process of building another three 99,000-cubic-meter VLECs, scheduled for delivery this year.
Jiangnan Shipyard is the only Chinese shipbuilder capable of researching, developing, designing and constructing the entire series of liquefied gas vessels, from start to finish, according to experts.
On Dec 29, the world's largest container ship, with a capacity of 24,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, was undocked at the shipyard of builder Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co in Shanghai, which marks another major achievement in China's shipbuilding industry.
The ship, designed independently by Hudong-Zhonghua, is the first of six 24,000 TEU ultra large container ships ordered by Evergreen Group. Each will be 399.99 meters long and 61.5 meters wide.
Equipped with desulfuration units, the container ship uses state-of-the-art technologies to ensure green sustainability and energy efficiency in order to make the vessel move swiftly and efficiently, Lin said. All its performance indicators will meet advanced international standards, Lin said.
With a focus on building high value-added container ships, Hudong-Zhonghua currently has 19 large container ships under construction and, in 2021 alone, received orders for 13.
As the nation's leader in designing and building large container vessels, Hudong-Zhonghua has so far constructed more than 60 large-scale container ships (above 8,000 TEUs) for shipowners globally. Among them, five represented the world's first group of ultra large, liquefied natural gas-powered, 23,000 TEU container ships.
Zhou Dequan, director of Shanghai International Shipping Institute's domestic shipping research office, said 2021 was the best year for the global shipping industry since the 2008 global financial crisis.
"This is particularly so for the container ship market, which reached record highs in terms of freight and revenue, and the dry bulk cargo sector, which witnessed the greatest year in the past decade," Zhou said.
Zhou expects that the container ship market will maintain forward momentum in the coming year, dry bulk cargo will face a mild market adjustment, and oil tankers may experience an uptick after a downward correction in 2021.
Global leader
China took the lead in global shipbuilding by accounting for around half of new ship orders worldwide in 2021, according to British shipping services provider Clarkson.
Last year, 1,846 new ship orders were placed across the world, with South Korea accounting for 38 percent, ranking second.
Lin, the Logistics Research Center director, said that despite the encouraging progress made by China's shipbuilding sector, the nation must still overcome challenges before becoming a truly global shipbuilding power.
"Chinese shipyards need to restructure their industrial chain, work hard on their core technologies, pay more attention to design, production and craftsmanship, as well as strengthen their capability in the resilience, flexibility and elasticity of supply chain management," Lin said.
Source: Chinadaily
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