On August 26, the first ship in the series of 62,000 deadweight ton multi-purpose heavy lift vessels built by Jiangsu Taizhou Port Ship Co., Ltd. for Zhongyuan Shipping, the “CL FREEDOM,” was successfully named and delivered.
The formal entry into service of this vessel, currently the world’s largest deadweight ton multi-purpose heavy lift ship, marks a critical step in the fleet structure upgrade of Zhongyuan Shipping and its official entry into the heavy lift transport market.
Leaders and guests including Liu Chunshan, Chairman of Zhongyuan Shipping; Mao Siyuan, General Manager of Pusheng Shipping (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd.; Li Fei, General Manager of the Shipping Business Department of Cinda Leasing; Ge Siyue, Senior Vice President of Bureau Veritas; Qi Wenchuan, Chairman of Port Ship; and Zhang Tao, General Manager, attended the ceremony. The ship’s godmother, Ms. Xu Qiushi, Chairman of Schlute Wen Heavy Industry, named the vessel, unveiled it, and broke a champagne bottle for blessing.
The “CL FREEDOM” is the fourth vessel in the 62,000-ton multi-purpose heavy lift series undertaken by Port Ship. It has an overall length of 199.9 meters, a breadth of 32.26 meters, a depth of 19.30 meters, a design draft of 11.30 meters, a full load draft of 13.5 meters, and a design speed of 14.4 knots. It is classed by Bureau Veritas. The vessel continues the world-class standards and innovative design philosophy of the series. It is equipped with three 150-ton heavy lift cranes and one 80-ton heavy lift crane on the shipside, with a combined maximum lifting capacity of 300 tons, enabling flexible and efficient carriage of various out-of-gauge and heavyweight cargoes. It features five large hatch openings with an unobstructed deck area of over 5,000 square meters, capable of accommodating extra-long wind turbine blades and engineering equipment, offering ultimate loading capacity and core advantages in heavy lifting. The ship’s EEDI index meets Phase 3 requirements, and its NOx emissions meet Tier III standards, satisfying the highest environmental protection requirements of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
From its construction start on October 30, 2024, to its naming and delivery on August 26, 2025, the “CL FREEDOM” was built in 10 months, making it the vessel with the shortest construction time and the highest quality and efficiency among the four delivered sister ships. It is the result of sincere cooperation between the shipowner, ship surveyor, and shipyard, demonstrating Port Ship’s construction strength in the field of high-end heavy lift vessels.
Zhongyuan Shipping always adheres to a market-oriented and customer-centric approach, promoting fleet structure adjustment and service capability enhancement. In recent years, as the “Belt and Road” Initiative deepens and is implemented, “Made in China” products are accelerating their presence worldwide and transforming towards high-tech and high-value-added sectors. The global transport demand for heavy lift cargo such as high-speed rail locomotives, wind power equipment, and new energy storage cabinets continues to rise, with customers placing higher demands on transport safety, timeliness, and end-to-end supply chain coordination capabilities.
To comprehensively enhance its heavy lift transport operational capabilities, Zhongyuan Shipping has systematically carried out technical capacity building: forming a professional technical team, consolidating core technical capabilities, and upgrading its internationally certified QHSE management system, laying the foundation for deepening its presence in the international heavy lift transport market.
Zhongyuan Shipping looks forward to working hand-in-hand with industry partners to jointly respond to changes and create value. Looking to the future, it will continue to promote the iterative upgrade of its fleet towards larger size, large hatches, large decks, heavy lifting capabilities, and multi-mode loading and unloading methods, continuously aligning with the transport needs of high-end equipment and strengthening its competitiveness in high-value-added cargo transportation and global supply chain services.
On August 27, the “CL FREEDOM” will set sail from Lianyungang on its maiden voyage, loading 8 sets of wind power equipment for overseas delivery. Subsequently, with the gradual delivery of the other 5 vessels in the same multi-purpose heavy lift series, combined with a professional heavy lift transport capability system, Zhongyuan Shipping will provide more solid and efficient logistics support for the “going global” of Chinese manufacturing.
