Ground Broken on World’s Largest Shipyard

A Chinese shipbuilding company has broken ground on what it says will be the world's biggest shipyard, a high-tech facility capable of producing cruise ships and natural gas tankers, sources inside China and wire services reported Monday. The yard, being built on an island at the mouth of the Yangtze river, will reportedly eature seven construction docks along a five-mile stretch of coastline, the Shanghai Daily reported. Due for completion in 2015, the yard will be designed to produce a total of 12 million dwt of ships per year. The new yard is being built by the China State Shipbuilding Corp., which incorporates 25 large- and medium-sized shipyards. The group currently produces tankers and container ships, as well as warships and submarines for China's navy, according to its Web site.