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China Daily News

15 Aug 2023

China Claims Top Shipowning Nation Title Based on Gross Tonnage

A 700TEU pure battery-powered container ship classified by CCS. Image courtesy of CCS.

China has overtaken Greece to become the world's largest shipowning country in terms of gross tonnage, according to information released over the weekend by the Shanghai-based China Shipowners' Association.China Daily reports that data from Clarksons Research shows the fleet size of Chinese shipowners has reached 249.2 million GT, accounting for a global market share of 15.9%, about $180 billion in fleet value. This is slightly higher than the 249 million GT of Greek shipowners' fleet…

15 Aug 2023

Shanghai Plans 5G Roll-Out for Marine Economy

Source: Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding

Shanghai’s local government plans to provide oceanic coverage of 5G networks by 2024.China Daily reports that Shanghai will build an integrated network connecting all land, sea, air and space internet infrastructure platforms. The development of navigation, wind power and offshore engineering will be coordinated so that they are connected.5G technology will be used for marine supervision, science and technology, marine economy and intelligent shipping.Qualcomm describes 5G as…

11 Jul 2023

China Celebrates National Maritime Day

©  creativenature.nl / Adobe Stock

China celebrated its 19th National Maritime Day on July 11, with celebrations taking place in museums and schools along with a range of technical conferences.The Ministry of Transport released the 2022 China Shipping Development Report which showed that container throughput at ports increased by 4.7% and the volume of rail-water multi-modal transport routes increased by 16% year-on-year.China Daily reports Vice-Transport Minister Fu Xuyin saying: “By the end of last year, the Chinese fleet reached a carrying capacity of 370 million deadweight tons…

26 Jun 2023

China’s Shipyards Operating at Full Capacity

Source: CSSC

The major shipyards in China are operating at full capacity, resulting in potential order backlogs, reports China Daily.The value of China's ship exports rose by over 21% year-on-year to $8.86 billion in the January-May period, according to China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry data. Orders rose by 50% over that time, giving China a 67% world share.Orders have included container ships, bulk carriers, LNG carriers, vehicle carriers and offshore vessels. The growth in orders has been partially attributed to shipowners looking to meet decarbonization goals.CSSC subsidiary…

18 Apr 2023

GSI Claims Lead in Orders for LNG Dual-Fuel PCTCs

Source: CSSC

Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI), part of China State Shipbuilding Corp, has recently taken the lead in orders LNG dual-fuel pure car truck carriers (PCTCs), reports China Daily.The company now has contracts to build 25 PCTCs after a recent contract signing for three 8,600 ceu dual-fuel PCTCs for an unnamed Asian company. Other orders include three 7,000 ceu dual-fuel PCTCs with Guangzhou Yuanhai Automobile Shipping and three LNG dual-fuel 7,000 ceu newbuilds from COSCO.Of the yards 25 PCTC orders, 11 are being built for overseas companies, including South Korea's H-Line Shipping.

15 Aug 2022

Dry Bulk: Capesize Rates Hit 6-month Low

© Gudellaphoto / Adobe Stock

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index fell for the third straight session on Monday as rates for capesize vessels declined to their lowest in more than six months.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, and supramax shipping vessels, lost 73 points, or 4.9%, to 1,404 points, its lowest since Jan. 28.The capesize index was down for the third consecutive session, falling 216 points, or 16.4%, to 1,098 points, its biggest drop in 11 days.Average daily earnings for capesizes…

15 Jul 2022

Baltic Sea Freight Index Posts Weekly Gain as Capesize Rates Jump

©Volodymyr Kyrylyuk/AdobeStock

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index , tracking rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities, logged its first weekly gain since mid-June, as a jump in capesize rates outweighed declines in other vessel segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, and supramax shipping vessels, was up 140 points, or nearly 7%, at 2,150 points, its highest since July 4. It rose 4% for the week.The capesize index rose 462 points, or 18.8%, to 2,919 points, its highest since June 20.

26 Aug 2021

VP Harris Says US Will 'Speak Up' on South China Sea

(File photo: Gage Skidmore)

The United States welcomes competition and does not seek conflict with Beijing, but will speak up on issues like maritime disputes in the South China Sea, Vice President Kamala Harris said on Thursday as she concluded a trip to Southeast Asia.In visits to Singapore and Vietnam, Harris charged China with bullying its neighbors in the region, triggering here sharp rebukes from Beijing, which accused the U.S. of meddling in regional affairs and disrupting peace.“We welcome stiff competition…

15 Jul 2019

Baltic Index at 5-1/2 Year Peak as Capesize Demand Soars

file Image: CREDIT AdobeStock / © Lucasz Z

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index hit a five-and-a-half-year high on Monday on the back of strong demand for capesize vessels shipping iron ore.The Baltic index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities, rose 3.4%, or 63 points, to 1,928, its highest since January 2014. The index has tripled since February. The index rose 7.2% last week for a fourth straight week, mainly driven by strong demand for vessels that ship iron ore from Brazil.A restart of Vale SA's Brucutu mine in Brazil in June…

24 Dec 2018

China to Push LNG Shipbuilding

China would like to compete with South Korea in the field of building liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers building.South Korea has won 86 percent of the world's total orders or 52 orders for LNG carriers so far in 2018, according to Clarkson Research. The remaining nine orders were shared by companies from China, Singapore and Japan.Though China leads offshore engineering products and mega container vessel shipbuilding sectors, the country is a laggard in LNG shipbuilding.A recent report in the country's official media China Daily quoted Tan Naifen, deputy secretary-general of the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry (CANSI) as saing: "The global demand for LNG carriers will continue to surge in the long term…

06 Dec 2018

Guangzhou Launches World's First Icebreaking LNG Tanker

The world's first liquid natural gas (LNG) carrier tanker was named 'Boris Sokolov' and delivered by Guangzhou Shipyard International in Guangzhou City.According to Chinese state media, the Arctic condensate tanker carrier designed to traverse the world's icy northern polar region.With a load capacity of 44,550 tons, the vessel, which is built for for Dynacom of Greece, can sail in the Arctic region without icebreaker-piloting, it said. The vessel is mainly used for transporting condensate oil for the Yamal LNG project in northwest Siberia, which is the largest LNG project in the world.Boris Sokolov is designed to cope with the extreme cold of the Arctic, where the temperature can fall below minus 50 degrees.

26 Mar 2018

Huge Ore Carrier Delivered to Vale

Shandong-based Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co, a subsidiary of Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co, delivered a very large ore carrier (VLOC) to Brazilian miner Vale SA, said Chinese state media. China Daily said that the ship, named Ore Tianjin, has 400,000 metric tons' carrying capacity and is the first VLOC the group has made for Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Leasing. Aiming to reduce the shipping cost by increasing capacity and enhance the operator's global competitive edge, the ship has a loading capacity equivalent to 6,666 regular freight train cabins, it said. The vessel uses 20 percent less fuel than first-generation VLOCs, slashes transport costs for iron ore by 30 percent and can be loaded much quicker than its predecessors.

06 Dec 2017

China's 'Smart' Ship Debuts in Shanghai

China's first "smart" ship embedded with a domestically-developed intelligent navigation system made its debut in Shanghai, according to official media Xinhua. China Daily also reported that the world's first smart ship, developed and built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC),  has started its first trial voyage in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province. Christened as 'Great Intelligence' (Great Smart) 179-meter-long ship  is 32-meters-wide and 15-meters-high, with a maximum loading capacity of 38,800 tonnes. The report said that it is installed with SOMS, a China-Developed marine system with autonomous learning ability and intelligent operation system.

05 Nov 2017

China Unveils Huge Island Building Vessel

China has has unveiled a massive island-building vessel, which has been called “a magic island-maker” by its designer and is considered the most powerful vessel of its type in Asia, the state media reported. Named Tian Kun Hao, the ship is reported to have a deck the size of nine basketball courts and be capable of dredging up to 6,000 cubic meters an hour and digging as deep as 35 meters under the sea floor. The ship, capable of building artificial islands of the sort the country has constructed in the contested South China Sea, was launched last Friday at a port in eastern Jiangsu province, according to China Daily. The Marine Design and Research Institute in Shanghai, which designed the vessel, described it as a “magic island-maker” on Saturday.

27 Sep 2017

CSSC to Restructure

The primary contractor for China's naval force China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) is preparing a major asset reorganization involving its two subsidiaries, reported China Daily. The companies have halted stock trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange The announcement said that whether the reforms take place would be decided in the next 10 trading days. CSSC Holdings Ltd and CSSC Offshore and Marine Engineering Co Ltd both acted upon the notices from their parent company about the potential asset reform by suspending their stock trading. The CSSC group is the parent of three listed companies. CSSC Science and Technology Co Ltd didn't respond to the notice.

24 Sep 2017

China Launches World's Largest Bulk Carrier

China launched world's largest bulk carrier 'Ore Tianjin' in the port city Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, reported China Daily. The mammoth ore ship, built by the Wuhan subordinate of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), can carry 400,000 metric ton deadweight (DWT). It will go into service for ore transportation between China and Brazil upon delivery, which is expected in April 2018. At 362 meters long, 65 meters wide and 30.4 meters deep, and a deck equivalent to three soccer fields, it's 25 meters longer than the world's largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. Considering the huge size of the ship, innovation has been made to ensure its safety, stability and its energy saving and environment-friendly properties.

15 Sep 2017

CMA CGM Confirms Order for Nine Mega Ships

(File photo: Port of Long Beach)

CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container shipping firm, said it expected operating profits to improve further in the second half as the market continues to recover, and confirmed an order for nine giant vessels. The announcements by French-based CMA CGM underlined a recovery in the industry this year after a prolonged downturn that sparked a series of consolidation deals. In a second-quarter results statement on Friday, CMA CGM said its board had approved an order for nine container ships…

23 Aug 2017

CMA CGM to Build World's Largest Boxships at Chinese Yard

French shipping group CMA CGM plans to build nine of the world's largest container ships at two Chinese shipyards, the China Daily newspaper reported on Wednesday. Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co confirmed that it and its sister yard Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co, had received a letter of intent from CMA CGM for the ships, which would be capable of carrying 22,000 20-foot equivalent unit containers (TEU), the newspaper said. The final order was subject to board approval from both sides, the newspaper said. Both yards are owned by state-run China State Shipbuilding Corporation. CMA CGM did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Calls to Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding and Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding outside office hours were not immediately answered.

06 Feb 2017

China Welcomes Mattis' South China Sea Diplomacy

China on Monday welcomed U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' suggestion that diplomacy should be the priority in the South China Sea, and that major U.S. military action was not being considered to contend with China's assertive behaviour there. Mattis, speaking in Tokyo on Saturday, blamed China for "shredding the trust of nations in the region", but also played down any need for U.S. military manoeuvres in the disputed waters of the South China Sea and instead called for open lines of communication. The comments, his most complete on the issue to date, came after analysts had said other remarks made by President Donald Trump's administration had suggested the possibility of U.S. military action, or even a naval blockade.

04 Mar 2017

Cosco Closing Down Yards

COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Co is planning to cut the number of shipyards that are able to manufacture offshore engineering products from five to two by 2020, China Daily reported. China's third largest shipbuilder by output makes this move as the company's latest effort to cut overcapacity, since the global market is unlikely to see a notable upturn anytime soon. Under the plan, its shipyards in Nantong, Zhoushan and Dongguan will be shut down. The company will keep manufacturing bases in Qidong and Dalian as they are capable of producing high-end offshore engineering products such as polar ships, oil drilling platforms and cattle carriers. A few months ago, China Cosco Shipping Group has integrated all of its shipbuilding assets into one unit – Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry (CSHI).

22 Aug 2017

US Navy a Hazard to Shipping -Chinese Newspaper

USS John S. McCain following a collision with the merchant vessel Alnic MC while underway east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore on Aug. 21. (U.S. Navy photo by Madailein Abbott)

The U.S. navy's latest collision at sea, the fourth in its Pacific fleet this year, shows it is becoming an increasing risk to shipping in Asia despite its claims of helping to protect freedom of navigation, an official Chinese newspaper said. The USS John S. McCain and the tanker Alnic MC collided while the guided-missile vessel was nearing Singapore on Monday. The collision tore a hole in the warship's port side at the waterline, flooding compartments that included a crew sleeping area. Ten sailors are missing. The collision - the fourth major accident in the U.S.

14 Oct 2016

Cosco Raises $1.8bln Capital

China’s COSCO Shipping Development Co Ltd  announced a proposed nonpublic issuance of about 3.28 billion shares to specific investors, including its parent company, to raise up to 12 billion yuan ($1.79 billion), reports China Daily. COSCO Shipping Development will become a financing platform of its parent company-China Cosco Shipping Corp, the country's largest shipping company, according to its public statement. The company will use 6 billion yuan and 2.4 billion yuan from the proceeds for the capital injection into two of its subsidiaries, COSCO Shipping Leasing Co Ltd and Florens International respectively, while it will also use 1.8 billion yuan for the redemption of maturing corporate bonds and 1.8 billion yuan to refill the working capital of the company.

04 Nov 2016

OCEAN Alliance Vs 2M

With Ocean Alliance released its long-awaited network information, with members CMA CGM, China Cosco Shipping, Evergreen Line, and Orient Overseas Container Line to offer 40 services on the east-west trades with 498 port calls, battle looms in the global market as it challenges 2M, another major global container carrier alliance. According to China Daily, with a total carrying capacity of 3.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, OCEAN Alliance will be able to provide a service coverage in the market on a number of trade lanes including 20 trans-Pacific and six Asia-Europe shipping services. Formed by Denmark's Maersk Line and Switzerland's Mediterranean Shipping Co SA…