Today (20th), an 115,000-ton oil tanker built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd. (Shanchuang Heavy Industry) was officially delivered to a Greek shipowner in Qinhuangdao, Shanhaiguan, more than 160 days ahead of the contractual delivery schedule. Since the beginning of this year, China's shipbuilding industry has continuously secured new orders, capturing over ninety percent of the global new orders for very large crude carriers (VLCCs), establishing a dominant position in the global market.
The 115,000-ton tanker delivered today has an overall length of approximately 249.8 meters and a molded breadth of 44 meters, capable of transporting over 800,000 barrels of crude oil or refined products in a single voyage. Its maneuverability, economic performance, and energy-saving, green, and environmentally friendly features surpass those of similar vessels, granting it strong market competitiveness.
Yan Guangjun, Production Director at CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd. (Shanchuang Heavy Industry), stated that leveraging the advantages of batch and series production, the company delivered the 115,000-ton tanker 164 days ahead of the contractual schedule. Its flexible application, excellent port adaptability, and seaworthiness have made it the most sought-after mainstream vessel type in the current market.
Beyond the vessel delivered today, reports from the docks of CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding show the simultaneous construction of two 300,000-ton VLCCs. These larger vessels can carry over 2 million barrels of crude oil per voyage, with a per-barrel transportation cost more than 40% lower than that of medium and small-sized tankers, leading to significantly higher market demand.
Marketing staff revealed that oil tankers are not only a major component for their company but also dominate the new orders received by many domestic shipyards this year.
Peng Guisheng, Head of the Marketing Department at CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding, noted that the market for oil tankers has experienced a concentrated surge. Orders for oil tankers signed and effective this year have already exceeded 6 million deadweight tons, with construction set to begin on 42 ships within the year. Chinese shipbuilders have achieved world-leading levels in oil tanker design and construction, demonstrating clear competitive advantages in build quality, delivery cycles, and pricing. This has attracted a concentration of global shipowner orders to China.
Latest data shows that in the first quarter, China secured new orders for 67 VLCCs, totaling 20.649 million deadweight tons, accounting for 92.0% of the global total. The construction schedules at related shipyards are now booked through 2030.
**China's VLCC Construction Technology Leads Globally**
As a specialized large vessel for transporting crude oil or refined products, the oil tanker is one of the three main global ship types. Relying on the continuous acceleration of technological iteration and upgrades, China's VLCC construction capabilities are steadily advancing, with core technologies leading the global market.
At the CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding Tianjin base, a newly commenced LNG dual-fuel VLCC has already begun attracting global shipowners' attention. Unlike previous VLCCs, this giant vessel, with an overall length of 332.95 meters, has a design speed of 14.5 knots. This combination of size and speed represents an optimal ratio for long-distance, transoceanic routes, maximizing both fuel economy and transport efficiency. It can transport over 2 million barrels of crude oil in one voyage, meeting the refueling needs of millions of vehicles.
More impressive is the vessel's power system. It is equipped not only with a dual-fuel main engine but also dual-fuel generator sets and boilers, achieving full-chain clean energy use for both propulsion and auxiliary systems.
Peng Guisheng, Head of the Marketing Department at CSSC Dalian Shipbuilding, explained that Dalian Shipbuilding continues to increase R&D investment in innovative energy-saving technologies and alternative fuel fields. Technologies such as air lubrication systems, wind-assisted propulsion, shaft generators, and energy storage batteries are being applied to actual vessels. Dalian Shipbuilding has successively delivered the world's first LNG dual-fuel VLCC and methanol dual-fuel VLCC, and is currently constructing the world's first ammonia dual-fuel Aframax tanker, expected for delivery in 2028.
Peng Guisheng added that, leveraging batch and series production advantages, shipbuilders' production efficiency continues to set new records. Currently, it takes only about one year from commencement to delivery for a VLCC built in China. More versatile oil tankers are also under accelerated development.
Peng Guisheng stated that in the future, green features and multi-fuel compatibility will become standard configurations for newbuild oil tankers. Newbuild tankers will generally possess the capability to use multiple fuels and have reserved space for retrofitting to adapt to future changes in the fuel market. Simultaneously, with shifts in crude oil trade patterns and increasing demand for specialized transport, the need for specialized vessel types like shuttle tankers and ice-class strengthened tankers will continue to grow.
Comments