Ha Long Shipyard Launches Biggest Container Ship in Vietnam

Ha Long Shipyard successfully launched a container ship in northern Quang Ninh Province with its capacity of 1,750 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEU), which is the biggest container ship ever built in Vietnam. Shipyard director Nguyen Duc Than reportedly said the container ship, named Vinashin Dragon, would be delivered to a local client by the end of the first quarter next year. It is the first ship of a contract for five container ships ordered by Vinashin Lines, and both the shipbuilder and the client are members of the giant Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin). The 184-meter-long and 25-meter-wide ship, with a tonnage equivalent to 23,000DWT, is worth $36m. Construction of the ship was supervised by Germany's register company GL, and it is equipped with European machines. Besides this order to build a series of large container ships, the shipyard will also be launching cargo ships of 53,000DWT, Than reportedly said, adding the shipyard was making in-depth investment to enhance its capacity for building ships of up to 70,000DWT. Ha Long Shipyard is one of two shipyards selected for implementing a contract between Vinashin and Britain's Graig Investments in building a series of 15 vessels of 53,000DWT. Under the contract signed in January of 2004, these 15 vessels would be built within five years. [Source: Saigon Times]