On October 1, the first 319,000-ton VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) Beihai Shipbuilding for Euronav, a tanker company under Belgian CMB.TECH, successfully completed its trial voyage and berthed at the company’s dock.
The first VLCC undergoing this trial voyage has an overall length of 339.5 meters, a molded breadth of 60 meters, a molded depth of 30.3 meters, a design speed of 14.5 knots, and is classed by the American Bureau of Shipping.
As a key project for Beihai Shipbuilding in 2025, the construction of the first VLCC has been advanced with high standards and strict requirements since its commencement. To ensure the success of the trial voyage, the project team thoroughly drew on the mature experience of sister companies in the VLCC construction field, systematically reviewed key processes, solidly prepared for the trials, compiled a detailed list of trial spare parts and stores, and optimized the trial plan.
During the trial voyage, despite the impact of strong winds and rainfall, the shipowner, ship surveyors, crew, and all personnel from Beihai Shipbuilding united as one, raced against time, and collaborated closely. Through 24-hour non-stop inspection, they efficiently completed 68 trial items. All major performance indicators of the vessel met the technical specifications and regulatory requirements. In response to the opinions raised by the shipowner and crew during the trials, the project team simultaneously formulated rectification plans and swiftly implemented improvement measures.
The complete success of this first ship’s trial voyage has won high praise from the shipowner CMB.TECH, laying a solid foundation for deepening long-term cooperation between the two parties.
It is understood that the 319,000-ton VLCC marks the first cooperation between Beihai Shipbuilding and Euronav, and represents another significant breakthrough and innovation for Beihai Shipbuilding in the tanker construction field. This ship type was independently designed by CSSC Ship Design & Research Centre Co., Ltd. (Merchant Ship Center), demonstrating Beihai Shipbuilding’s strong capabilities in the field of green and low-carbon ship design. The vessel has an overall length of 339.50 meters, a molded breadth of 60 meters, a molded depth of 30.30 meters, and a scantling draft of 22.50 meters. All technical indicators have reached internationally advanced levels and meet the stringent requirements of the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) Phase III. The ship can be configured with two 6,000 cubic meter ammonia fuel tanks in the future, highlighting the environmental philosophy of green shipbuilding and laying a solid foundation for achieving “zero-carbon” ship operation.
In the future, Beihai Shipbuilding will continue to uphold the business philosophy of “Customer First, Co-creating the Future,” focus on lean construction, further optimize process flows, improve construction efficiency, ensure high-quality ship delivery, provide customers with superior products and services, and continuously consolidate its leading position in the VLCC market.
