The combined profits of 80 major ship builders monitored by the Chinese Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry nose-dived by 53.6 percent in the first half of the year to 3.58 billion yuan ($584.1 million), while business revenues plunged 18.5 percent to 120.3 billion yuan ($19.66 billion). In response the State Council has issued a support plan aimed at keeping the shipbuilding sector afloat, reports the 'China Daily'. The Hengfu Shipyard, headquartered in east China's Zhejiang province, used to be an industrial heavyweight with an annual production capacity of 1 million deadweight tons of vessels. However, the ship producer declared bankruptcy in 2011 due to a lack of orders and mounting debts.
