appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Alice Li

Chinese shipbuilders have secured a string of new orders for large-scale vessels from domestic and international buyers, building on strong order momentum in the first half of the year, amid China’s push to move the industry up the value chain.
Hengli Heavy Industry, a Liaoning-based shipbuilder, has secured construction contracts for six very large ammonia carriers (VLACs) from three international shipowners within one week, its parent company Hengli Group said on Wednesday. Four of the vessels have a capacity of 93,000 cubic metres, while the other two have an 88,000-cubic-metre capacity.
The deals follow Hengli’s successful June launch of the world’s first 93,000-cubic-metre VLAC, built on a slipway rather than in a dry dock, challenging the industry’s long-standing practice of constructing large gas carriers only in dry docks.
Hengli said the breakthrough, combined with its in-house capabilities, had given the company “a differentiated competitive edge ... in areas such as delivery timelines and construction costs”.
Also on Wednesday, Shanghai-based Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding secured a contract from Cosco Shipping Development to build 10 bulk carriers of 210,000 deadweight tonnage (dwt), worth 5.28 billion yuan (US$781.31 million), according to the buyer. The Jiangsu-based Nantong Xiangyu Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering would build another five vessels for the company under a separate 2.64 billion yuan contract.
The slew of new orders comes amid China’s broader expansion in global shipbuilding, as the country continues to strengthen its position across both traditional and higher-value vessel segments.

In the first half of this year, China’s new shipbuilding orders, a key indicator of industry competitiveness, jumped 173.1 per cent to 121.06 million dwt, surpassing the previous full-year record and accounting for 82.3 per cent of global new orders, according to state-run CCTV on Tuesday.
Some of China’s leading shipyards had order backlogs extending through 2029 and 2030, the CCTV report said.
China maintained its leading position across the three major vessel segments – bulk carriers, container ships and tankers – with new orders in each segment accounting for more than 80 per cent of the global market in the January-June period, the state broadcaster previously reported. The country also expanded its presence in higher-value vessels, with Chinese shipbuilders taking more than 68 per cent of global new orders for new energy vessels.
The momentum comes as Beijing pushed to upgrade the shipbuilding industry towards higher-end manufacturing, identifying the sector as a traditional industry targeted for upgrading over 2026–30 period, according to a document released by the National Development and Reform Commission in late 2025.
As a major shipbuilding hub, Shanghai pledged in a July plan to build a world-class shipbuilding and offshore equipment cluster, focusing on hi-tech vessels, liquefied natural gas carrier capabilities and green and intelligent transformation through low- and zero-carbon technologies.
.


Can the new Pinglu Canal become China’s Yangtze of the southwest?

Cosco Shipping arm readies China IPO to capitalise on global shipbuilding wave

‘Breakthrough’: Chinese shipyard set to take lucrative orders from Nordic cruise operator

How China’s top 2 container ports became the world’s busiest – and beat Singapore

China shipbuilding

Chinese shipbuilders secure new vessel orders as Beijing pushes for high-margin shift

The Ivy Cove, a very large ammonia carrier. Photo: Jiangnan Shipyard

A Cosco vessel. Photo: COSCO

China’s solar surge nears historic milestone – even as Beijing slams brakes on sheer scale

Solar panels in Delingha, northwest China’s Qinghai province, on July 9. Photo: Xinhua

China completes first high-speed rail tunnel under the Yangtze River

The rail tunnel measures nearly 12km in length. Photo: Handout

Job fears in changing world make AI a hot subject at China’s vocational schools

A job fair at Harbin University of Science and Technology in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, in March. Photo: Xinhua

Students put robots through their paces at a vocational school in Qingdao, Shandong province, in March. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese energy giant opens new plant in South Korea as AI ambitions intensify power crisis

One of CGN Energy International’s gas-power projects is seen in South Korea. Photo: China Energy News

Shanghai port secures second place in global ranking, overtaking London

A general view of shipping containers and cranes at Yangshan deep water port in Shanghai. Photo:  AFP

A Chinese cruise ship in Shanghai on March 19. Photo: Xinhua

Economy

China Economy

Global Economy

Buyers in both domestic and international markets submit requests for vessels as the industry’s momentum continues


Buyers in both domestic and international markets submit requests for vessels as the industry’s momentum continues.


Chinese shipbuilders secure new vessel orders as Beijing pushes for high-margin shift

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Buyers in both domestic and international markets submit requests for vessels as the industry’s momentum continues

Buyers in both domestic and international markets submit requests for vessels as the industry’s momentum continues