FT.com: How China Rules The Waves (Shipbuilding Tech, Port Tech, Shipping & Maritime Network)

[JSCh]

Chinese-built Walvis Bay container terminal to be commissioned in August
Source: Xinhua | 2019-03-05 20:02:20 | Editor: huaxia

File photo shows people walk near the ship loading cranes from China in Walvis Bay, Namibia, on Feb. 9, 2018. (Xinhua/Wu Changwei)

WINDHOEK, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's new container terminal at the coastal town of Walvis Bay which was constructed by a Chinese company will be commissioned on August 1 this year, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Walvis Bay Corridor Group Clive Smith told reporters in the capital Windhoek on Monday.

According to Smith, the container terminal that will position the country as a regional logistic hub and gateway is currently 91 percent completed with construction expected to be fully finalized at the end of June.

"This is a very exciting time for the country...over the last five years, Namibia has made significant progress in logistic performance and I believe, this port will result in even better performance in the coming years," Smith said.

China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. started construction work in 2014 while the African Development Bank provided the 300 million U.S. dollars funding.

The container terminal being constructed on 40 hectares of land reclaimed from the sea is expected to increase the container handling capacity from the current 350,000 containers to 750,000 per annum.

 

[JSCh]

High-tech offers way ahead for shipyards
By CHENG YU | China Daily | Updated: 2019-03-12 07:33

The construction site of Xuelong 2 at Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) Co Ltd in Shanghai. XINHUA​

Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) Co Ltd, one of China's largest shipbuilders, will sign a new deal to construct five 15,000 TEU, or twenty-foot equivalent unit, dual-fuel container ships at the end of this month, its senior official said.

The deal will be valued at $750 million approximately in total, with each vessel worth around $150 million, said Hu Keyi, technical director at Jiangnan Shipyard, adding that the shipowner is CMA CGM SA, one of the world's top three container operators.

Hu, who is also a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made the remarks in an exclusive interview with China Daily, on the sidelines of the ongoing two sessions.

The new ships are equipped with bigger membrane LNG fuel tank inside the hull, which is expected to provide strong support to long-haul container transportation. It is likely to be used in Asia-Pacific routes, he added.

Hu also disclosed that the Dongfanghong 3 scientific research ship and the research icebreaker Xuelong 2 will be delivered in the first half of this year, possibly in May or June.

The Shanghai-based company, dating back to 19th century, is a historic shipyard. It was widely regarded as the cradle of China's shipbuilding industry. Currently, it builds, repairs and converts some high-tech and sophisticated vessels.

"Chinese shipbuilders have some advantages over the traditional shipbuilding powers including South Korea and Europe. For instance, the country's shipbuilders are good at making 'tailor-made' ships," Hu noted.

Tailor-made vessels are more flexible and boast stronger performance in certain cases as it can adapt to different marine demands during transportation, he said.

Amid the rapid development of the country's manufacturing segment including shipbuilding, Hu pointed out that China's manufacturing sector is facing mounting challenges.

"Developed countries are accelerating to revitalize the manufacturing industry while developing countries are attracting high-end manufacturing with lower production costs," he said.

To relieve the problem, Hu has proposed stepping up intelligent manufacturing in the shipbuilding sector, in a bid to promote the high-quality development of marine equipment in China.

Major shipyards in the nation now mainly use advanced machines to cut, weld and paint components, which according to Hu, is "partly automation" in the assembly line.

"China should strengthen policies to encourage shipyards to achieve smart manufacturing in more specific and detailed manufacturing processes, especially in the outfitting phase," he said.

Hu also highlighted the importance of three-dimensional models when manufacturing, saying that this is key to dynamic perception and real-time cognitive simulation during construction.

Liu Zheng, chairman of Dalian Shipbuilding Industry in Liaoning province, pointed out that Chinese shipyards should develop intelligent manufacturing.

"Looking at market demand, self-driving and smart vessels are future directions. Chinese shipbuilders are expected to grasp the opportunity to catch up with global leaders in the field," he said.

 

[JSCh]

First China-made polar cruise ship tests water
Xinhua | Updated: 2019-03-12 18:23

A ceremony is held as China’s first indigenous cruiser liner for polar expeditions tests the water in Haimen, Jiangsu province, March 12, 2019. [Photo/VCG]

NANJING -- The first China-made cruise ship for polar expeditions tested the water on Tuesday in Haimen, East China's Jiangsu province.

Hu Xianfu, general manager of the shipbuilder China Merchants Group, said the 104.4-meters long vessel is 18.4 meters at the beam. It can operate at a speed of 15.5 knots.

With a gross tonnage of 7,400 tons, it can accommodate 255 people on board.

Hu said the ship still needs equipment testing and installation, which will be finished in July before a September delivery to the owner Sunstone Ships Inc.

Sunstone, the world's leading provider of expedition vessels, has ordered 10 of the cruise liners from the Chinese shipbuilder.

The shipbuilding started in March 2018. Niels-Erik Lund, president and CEO of Sunstone, said the progress has been going well, which represents China's superb management in the shipbuilding industry.

​

 

[TaiShang]

First China-made polar cruise ship tests water

(Xinhua) 07:34, March 13, 2019

NANJING -- The first China-made cruise ship for polar expeditions tested the water on Tuesday in Haimen, East China's Jiangsu province.

Hu Xianfu, general manager of the shipbuilder China Merchants Group, said the 104.4-meters long vessel is 18.4 meters at the beam. It can operate at a speed of 15.5 knots.

With a gross tonnage of 7,400 tons, it can accommodate 255 people on board.

Hu said the ship still needs equipment testing and installation, which will be finished in July before a September delivery to the owner Sunstone Ships Inc.

Sunstone, the world's leading provider of expedition vessels, has ordered 10 of the cruise liners from the Chinese shipbuilder.

The shipbuilding started in March 2018. Niels-Erik Lund, president and CEO of Sunstone, said the progress has been going well, which represents China's superb management in the shipbuilding industry.

 

[JSCh]

Trieste port signs agreement with China Communications Construction Company
March 25, 2019

Source: Adriaports

Trieste, Italy (PortSEurope) March 25, 2019 – Autorita’ di Sistema Portuale del Mare Adriatico Orientale (AdSP – Eastern Adriatic Sea Port Authority) and state-owned China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) have signed an agreement to develop the port’s infrastructure and increase the possibilities of access for products of small and medium-sized Italian companies in Chinese markets.

In the presence of the heads of state of Italy and China, the president of the AdSP Zeno D’Agostino and the leader of the Chinese CCCC group Song Hailang formalized an agreement about the railway infrastructure in the port region of the Eastern Adriatic Sea, in particular the new Servola stations and Aquilinia, part of the “Trihub” project, the integrated system reinforcement plan railway infrastructure in the area between Cervignano del Friuli, Villa Opicina and Trieste, developed in collaboration with the Italian rail network operator RFI.

The agreement will increase of the influence of the port of Trieste both in Central Europe and in the Chinese maritime markets, and allow the AdSP to explore new opportunities related to the CCCC project for construction and management of the large intermodal terminal in Kosiče (Eastern Slovakia). The agreement will also allow both parties to evaluate collaborations for projects logistic-industrial in China with the aim of facilitating logistics flows and trade.

“With this agreement”, said D’Agostino, “we are aiming to organize the logistics of the port. Our commitment is to support the exports to China and the Far East of our SMEs, which do not have the appropriate size to deal with this type of investment. The AdSP will enable Italian companies to develop in Chinese logistic and port platforms that allow the “Made in Italy” strategy to develop in China.”

With this agreement, the port of Trieste assumes a role in the Belt and Road Initiative initiative – the new Silk Road.

Source: Autorita’ di Sistema Portuale del Mare Adriatico Orientale


Trieste port signs agreement with China Communications Construction Company – PortSEurope

 

[JSCh]

High-precision barge launched for massive Shenzhen-Zhongshan bridge project
Source:Global Times Published: 2019/4/9 21:03:40

Yihangjinping 1 is berthed in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province File photo: VCG

China launched on Tuesday a gravel leveling barge, Yihangjinping 2, that will serve a key role in the construction of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge in South China's Guangdong Province.

The bridge is a massive infrastructure project that will link areas within a one-hour radius of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Launched in a shipyard in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu Province, Yihangjinping 2, the largest self-elevating gravel leveling barge built by port machinery manufacturer ZPMC, will lay down gravel in a deep river bed with extremely high precision, read a statement the company sent to the Global Times on Tuesday.

The tolerance is 4 centimeters and the vessel can be compared to a 3D printer operating in deep water, the statement said.

A sister ship, Yihangjinping 1, took part in the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which opened in 2018 as a world-leading engineering feat.

Yihangjinping 2 boasts higher efficiency and automation than the earlier ship.

After the vessel lays down a level foundation, sunken tubes used to construct the underwater tunnels will be placed on it.

Construction of the 100-meter-long boat started in July 2018.

The vessel will come to the mouth of the Pearl River, where the bridge will be built, after a three-month voyage.

The 24-kilometer bridge that will connect Shenzhen and Zhongshan in 2024 is expected to further promote the integration of the Greater Bay Area.

 

[JSCh]

China’s trade boom and building frenzy of ports help home-grown producers corner the world market of containers and cranes | South China Morning Post

• Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries now exports quay cranes, gantry cranes to more than 300 ports in 100 countries, with 70 per cent of the global market
• China International Marine Containers Group (CIMC), took a little more than a decade to become the world’s largest maker of shipping containers

Daniel Ren
Published: 12:30pm, 13 Apr, 2019

Quay cranes along a berth at the Yangshan deep-water port in Shanghai on September 14, 2011. Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Machineries, established in 1992, has grown along with the explosive development of China’s ports to control 70 per cent of the global market for cranes, loaders and lifting equipment used in ports. Photo: Xinhua

The explosive growth of China’s container ports has turned one of the most important vendors in shipping into a best-in-class industry leader, whose cranes can now be found in 300 wharves in 100 countries, with 70 per cent of the global market share.

Established in 1992, the company was formerly known as Zhenhua Port Machinery for its speciality in making lifting equipment on the harbour front. Taking advantage of China’s low wages, Zhenhua quickly carved out a big chunk of the global market share by selling machines at lower prices than its competitors.

The company’s former chief executive Guan Tongxian, a confessed workaholic known for his hard-driving working ethic, retired at the age of 76 in 2009, the same year that the company renamed itself to reflect its forays into marine transport and installations, as well as the construction of special steel structures including the Las Vegas Ferris wheel, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and Norway’s Hardangerfjord bridge.

Rows of gantry cranes standing along the Huangpu River in Shanghai on 26 June 2002. A consortium of Chinese domestic banks provided a 17 billion yuan (US$2 billion) credit line toward the construction of Shanghai's Yangshan deep-sea container port. Photo: AFP

Listed on the Shanghai exchange in 1997, Zhenhua’s shares have risen 41 per cent in the past 12 months, ending 2.1 per cent lower at 4.46 yuan on Friday. All three analysts who cover the stock recommend their clients either “buy” or “accumulate” the stock, expecting Zhenhua to be a major winner in China’s megaplan to build infrastructure along the old Silk Road in its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Another major company that has emerged with China’s rising tide was China International Marine Containers (Group), or CIMC, a unit of the state-run conglomerate China Merchants Group. Established in 1980, the company took a little more than a decade to dominate the global industry, becoming the world’s largest maker of shipping containers since 1996.

Visitors look at rows of containers at the Yangshan deep water port in Shanghai on April 6, 2006. Photo: AP

Net profit jumped 34.7 per cent to 3.38 billion yuan last year, while sales rose 22.5 per cent to 93.5 billion yuan.

The company has also diversified into land transport and vehicles, boarding bridges used in 200 airports around the world and even the development of industrial parks.

Guosen Securities said in a research report that CIMC would face lower profit margin this year amid rising raw material costs and fiercer competition from global rivals.

Its shares have risen 43.7 per cent in the past 12 months on the Shenzhen exchange to 15.20 yuan as of Friday.

 

[TaiShang]

China leads global shipbuilding in Q1

By Zhu Lingqing | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-04-11

Ships under construction at the Heniu Shipping Limited Company shipyard in Yunyang county, Chongqing on Dec 5, 2017. [Photo by Rao Guojun/For China Daily]

Orders for China's shipbuilding industry ranked top in the world in the first quarter of this year followed by South Korea and Italy, according to data released by British shipbuilding and marine analysis agency Clarkson Research Services.

The research shows China's cumulative order volume for the first quarter reached 2.58 million compensated gross tons or 35 vessels, securing 45 percent of the global market.

The shipbuilding order volume for South Korea totaled 1.62 million CGT, or 24 vessels, and Italy reached 780,000 CGT, or 10 vessels. The two countries account for 28 percent and 14 percent of global orders respectively.

Japan's shipbuilding order volume was ranked fourth in the world, with a global market share of 8 percent, a total of 470,000 CGT from 20 vessels.

In the January to March period, China was only exceeded by South Korea in February in terms of new shipbuilding orders.

Data shows global orders for new vessels totaled 5.73 million CGT or 196 vessels in the first quarter of this year, a 42 percent decrease compared with 9.96 million CGT in the same period last year.

When it comes to handling orders, China ranked first with 29.92 million CGT, followed by South Korea and Japan with 21.33 million and 14.18 million CGT, respectively.

In addition, among the three countries only China saw a rise in handling orders compared with February.

In 2012 China replaced South Korea as the world's top shipbuilding order holder for the first time.

 

[AndrewJin]

Fake news, India, viet land and Trump Land, are the top 3

 

[JSCh]

Growing Chinese ports promote worldwide connectivity, prosperity with increasing partners
New China TV
Published on May 9, 2019

Click to find out how Chinese ports enlarge their international circle of friends by connecting and serving the world.

 

[JSCh]

China's biggest specialized shipping company opens European head office in Rotterdam
Source: Xinhua | 2019-05-17 20:38:45 | Editor: huaxia

A cargo ship of COSCO Shipping Lines docks in Dutch Port of Rotterdam, April 20, 2013. (Xinhua/Jia Lirui)

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands, May 17 (Xinhua) -- COSCO SHIPPING Specialized, one of the core members of China's COSCO SHIPPING Corporation, on Thursday opened its European regional head office in Rotterdam, Europe's largest port.

"The start up of this company is one of our method to provide integral total solutions to specialized shipping and related industries," said Guo Jing, vice-CEO of COSCO SHIPPING EUROPE.

"COSCO SHIPPING has contributed for a long time to the sustainable development of Rotterdam, Netherlands and the entire Europe, by serving the infrastructure companies, manufacturers, import/export trading companies and EPC companies and projects," he said.

"We are now giving birth to this new company, not only serving Chinese companies or Asian interests, but putting more focus and emphasis on European clients," he said. "This new company is now investing more in the development of Trans-Atlantic voyages and Intra-Europe sailings."

Rotterdam "has witnessed the glorious history of cooperation between Europe and China and is leading the trend of global shipping development," said Wu Mingliang, executive vice-president of COSCO SHIPPING Specialized.

With its specialized shipping fleet, the largest in the world, the group now "puts the most advanced tonnages and service team into the new company as a platform, not only to catch the development opportunities of European and Atlantic markets, but also to provide more service to our customers," he said.

COSCO SHIPPING Specialized operates more than a hundred vessels, including multi-purpose and heavy lift vessels, semi-submersible vessels, pure car carriers, logs carriers as well as asphalt carriers. It provides a wide variety of solutions for the transportation of various non-containerized cargo at sea.

Arno Bonte, vice mayor of Rotterdam, welcomed the global leading company in his city. "Rotterdam always welcomes companies, especially when it is a company like COSCO which aims at growing not only now, but also for the future," he said.

He stressed that the Port of Rotterdam is moving to become the most sustainable and smart port in the world, an aim connecting to the aim of the Chinese company because "we know COSCO is a company sustainable in itself, has sustainable goals and also your customers are moving this sustainable direction".

Rotterdam is building more wind farms in the North Sea, making offshore wind a growing market and COSCO has strong capacity in the shipping of windmills, he said.

COSCO SHIPPING Specialized choosing Rotterdam to locate its European head office is a new proof of the strong bond between the city and China, the vice mayor added.

Rotterdam and Shanghai celebrate 40 years of city sisterhood this year.

 

[RealNapster]

What is the price of a new 13000-15000 Container ship ?

 

[JSCh]

World's first smart VLCC delivered in NE China
CGTN
Published on Jun 22, 2019

China delivered its first intelligent very large crude carrier (VLCC) in Dalian, northeast Liaoning Province, on Saturday. The VLCC, named "New Journey," is also the world's first smart VLCC with a loading capacity of 308,000 tons.

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[JSCh]

CSSC-CSIC Megamerger Confirmed at Last

File image​

BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE 2019-07-01 16:39:42

In stock exchange filings Monday, China's two giant state-owned shipbuilders finally confirmed a long-rumored megamerger. The tie-up will give them new scale to match Hyundai Heavy Industries' proposed acquisition of South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering.

"CSSC is planning a strategic restructuring with China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation Co., Ltd.," CSSC's publicly-listed arm wrote in a stock exchange filing. "It is determined that the plan also needs to be approved by the relevant authorities. In order to ensure timely and fair disclosure of information and safeguard the interests of investors, it is now announced."

CSSC spun off CSIC in 1999, giving the newly-formed entity control of government-owned yards in northern China. CSIC's assets include Dalian Shipyard, Bohai Shipyard, Wuchang Shipyard and a wide variety of associated suppliers, manufacturers and research labs. It had annual sales in the range of $50 billion as of 2017. CSSC owns Shanghai Waigaoquiao Shipyard, one of the nation's most advanced shipbuilders, along with Jiangnan Shipyard and Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding. It took in about $30 billion in sales in 2017. Together, CSIC and CSSC would have more sales volume than all Big Three South Korean shipbuilders, according to Bloomberg, and a larger backlog than any other shipbuilding conglomerate.

CSSC has been undergoing a series of management changes and restructurings over the past year, leading to rumors that it could be preparing for a merger. In March 2018, it appointed a new leader, CPC Central Committee member Lei Fanpei. In March 2019, it launched a plan to restructure the finances of three of its largest shipyards- Jiangnan, Huangpu Wenchong and Guangzhou - in a debt-for-equity plan with new share issuances. CSIC merged two of its largest yards - Dalian and Bohai - the same month.

The mega-merger is the latest element of a yearslong consolidation drive for China's state-owned enterprises, many of which have been plagued by overcapacity. Industries already affected include steel production, electrical power, rail, agribusiness, shipping and port operations. The giant mergers are a way for Beijing to rein in capacity, reduce debt and increase economies of scale among its sprawling industrial holdings. The central government's enterprise supervision bureau, SASAC, has said that it wants to consolidate its existing state-owned enterprises into just 80 firms, down from about 100 at present.


https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/cssc-csic-shipbuilding-megamerger-confirmed-at-last

 

[JSCh]

World's largest unofficial hospital ship undocks from Tianjin
Xinhua | Updated: 2019-07-07 20:30

An unofficial hospital ship, the newest and largest of its kind in the world, has set sail from a port in northern China's Tianjin municipality. [Photo/cnr.cn]

TIANJIN -- A Chinese-built unofficial hospital ship, the newest and largest of its kind in the world, has set sail from a port in northern China's Tianjin municipality, the ship manufacturer said.

Powered by a full-circle-swinging electric propulsion system, the 174.1-meter-long and 28.6-meter-wide hospital ship was built for the United States by Tianjin Xingang Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co Ltd, a subsidiary of the state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation.

It is able to sail around the world and provide free medical service and professional training to poor areas.

The hospital is the key functional area of the 12-deck ship, mainly composed of a laboratory, general clinic, ophthalmology clinic and dental clinic. There are cabins and family suites as well as leisure areas such as restaurants, cafes and shops on the other decks.