In late autumn, along the coast of Dalian Bay on the southern shore of the Liaodong Peninsula, giant cranes stretch their long arms like steel giants, and welding sparks fly inside the docks… From September to November this year, three shipyards – China State Shipbuilding Corporation Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding”), Hengli Heavy Industry Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Hengli Heavy Industry”), and Dalian COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Dalian COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry”) – collectively secured nearly 100 new orders, writing a dual answer sheet of “China Speed” and “Dalian Quality” during the global shipbuilding market’s adjustment period.
CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding: Leading in Both Green and Ultra-Large Ship Types
On November 12, CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding announced that it had recently secured over 30 new ship orders consecutively. Notably, CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding announced the formal signing of an order with a European company for the construction of 10 LNG dual-fuel 22,000 TEU ultra-large container ships, further consolidating its leading position in the field of large clean energy vessels.
Simultaneously, CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding announced the achievement of batch, efficient construction of medium and large container ships. It recently signed orders with overseas shipowners, including Hai An Green Shipping of Vietnam, for a total of 6 units of 7,100 TEU medium-sized container ships, bringing the cumulative number of this ship type contracted to 14.
Additionally, contracts were signed with domestic major shipowners for 2 units of 110,000 dwt product /crude oil tankers, 2 units of 65,000 dwt crude /product oil tankers, 6 units of 307,000 dwt crude oil tankers, and 4 units of 210,000 dwt bulk carriers.
Against the backdrop of the global shipping market’s green transformation and supply chain restructuring, CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding is steadily advancing towards a new stage of high-quality development, supported by a solid order book, forward-looking technological pathways, and flexible trade cooperation models.
It is worth mentioning that CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding is also one of the very few shipbuilding enterprises globally with the capability to build large LNG carriers. On September 24, the first 175,000 cubic meter LNG carrier built by CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding, the “Hai Yun,” was named and delivered. Currently, CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding holds orders for 17 LNG carriers, with 13 under simultaneous construction. Based on calculations of the construction progress for subsequent vessels, the basic target for CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding is to achieve a single vessel construction time of 21 months.
With the intensive placement of the aforementioned orders, the main production lines of CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding are scheduled until 2029-2030.
Hengli Heavy Industry: Full Bloom in Multiple High-End Ship Types for “Container, Bulk, Oil”
Following the full production capacity achievement of its “Future Factory” at the beginning of the year, Hengli Heavy Industry entered a peak period for new ship construction starts, launches, and deliveries starting in September this year.
On November 24, two 82,000 dwt bulk carriers built by Hengli Heavy Industry for Wanhui Holding Group were officially named, marking the first application of Hengli’s self-produced marine engines in Hengli-built ships. It is reported that the 82,000 dwt bulk carrier is one of the main ship types built by Hengli Heavy Industry. In October alone, Hengli Heavy Industry signed orders for 20 Kamsarmax bulk carriers within one week.
In the field of Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC), in early October this year, Hengli Heavy Industry announced the signing of VLCC construction contracts with several shipping giants including Norway’s Frontline, Greece’s Dynacom, and Laskaridis, securing 12 VLCC orders within two weeks, with the total order value exceeding 10 billion yuan. Since September, Hengli Heavy Industry has received dozens of VLCC orders, demonstrating its strong capability in the VLCC construction sector.
Furthermore, orders for 4 units of 6,000 TEU medium-sized container ships from Singaporean shipping giant EPS and 3 units of 4,600 TEU container ships from a Chinese shipowner have allowed Hengli Heavy Industry to enter the container ship construction track.
As a privately-owned shipbuilding giant, Hengli Heavy Industry continues to make breakthroughs in the field of high-end shipbuilding. Leveraging its advanced technological innovation and extensive shipbuilding experience, it has won the trust of numerous internationally renowned shipping companies. The signing of these projects not only showcases Hengli Heavy Industry’s strong capabilities in shipbuilding but also marks a further enhancement of its influence in the international shipping market.
On October 28, the first LPG dual-fuel engine independently produced by Hengli Heavy Industry was successfully delivered, marking that Hengli Heavy Industry now fully possesses the manufacturing capability for green fuel engines and achieving a major breakthrough in independent production in the field of green ship power.
Based on the compilation of listed company announcements, shipowner information, and third-party data such as Clarksons, it was found that within approximately the last two months, Hengli Heavy Industry has secured about 50 new orders, including 13 VLCCs, 20 units of 82,000 dwt Kamsarmax bulk carriers, and several Capesize bulk carriers, medium-sized container ships, and LR2 tankers. Currently, Hengli Heavy Industry’s new shipbuilding order book is scheduled until 2029, achieving a full bloom in “container, bulk, oil” sectors.
Dalian COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry: Batch Construction of High-End Specialized Vessels Achieved
On October 30, COSCO Shipping Development Co., Ltd. issued consecutive announcements stating its intention to, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries Hainan COSCO Shipping Development Co., Ltd. and Hainan COSCO SHIPPING Development Co., Ltd., respectively commission Dalian COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., to build 23 units of 87,000 dwt bulk carriers. The total transaction value is 7.337 billion yuan. The new ships will adopt methanol-ready design. The first ship in the series is expected to be delivered on or before May 20, 2027, with subsequent vessels to be delivered successively by the end of 2028. This can be considered one of the largest bulk carrier newbuilding package projects within the central state-owned enterprise system in recent years.
Compared to the full-spectrum breakthroughs of CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding and Hengli Heavy Industry, Dalian COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry focuses more on the niche segment of “batch construction of high-end specialized vessels.”
On November 14, the last ship in the series of multi-purpose pulp carriers built by Dalian COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry – the “GREENGUANGZHOU” – was named in Dalian, officially joining the “national team” of China COSCO Shipping Corporation’s specialized pulp transportation fleet. Its successful naming also marks the successful conclusion of the 50 multi-purpose pulp carrier construction orders that Dalian COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry began in 2017.
As high-end specialized vessels, pulp carriers require extremely high technical standards for sealing, environmental protection, and multi-cargo compatibility. This market was long monopolized by foreign companies. Taking the opportunity of the batch construction of 50 vessels, Dalian COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry broke this situation in one fell swoop, achieving a complete leap from the “domestication breakthrough” of the first ship to the “iterative upgrade” of subsequent models, fundamentally rewriting the market landscape of global specialized transport vessels.
Relying on the construction of its 5G smart factory, Dalian COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry has built a shipbuilding production control platform through digital twin technology, achieving dynamic optimization of production plans, precise material distribution, and full-process quality traceability, significantly compressing construction cycles and reducing production costs, setting an industry benchmark for digital transformation in shipbuilding. From 62,000 tons, 68,000 tons, to 77,000 tons, and 85,000 tons, Dalian COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry has completed the continuous iteration of four types of multi-purpose pulp carriers, achieving a leapfrog upgrade in transport capacity. The vessel functions have extended from “professional pulp transport + large general cargo + bulk cargo” to a “car + container” composite carrier model, forming a full-chain transport solution covering multiple scenarios and cargo types. This not only meets the core demands for domestic high-end equipment exports and bulk commodity transportation but also exports China’s shipbuilding technical standards and service capabilities to the industry.
