CSSC Guangzhou Longxue Shipbuilding to restart building VLCCs
CSSC Guangzhou Longxue Shipbuilding will restart building VLCCs after a long time following landmark orders from COSCO Dalian, SinoShipNews reports.
“In cooperation with Guangzhou Shipyard International we got the VLCC orders from COSCO Dalian, and the VLCCs will be built by Longxue. Except the four big oil tanker orders at the beginning stage of our yard, we have not built any VLCCs yet, so to some extent, it could be said as the first time for our yard to build VLCCs,” an official from Longxue told SinoShip News. “We just get the news for the VLCCs orders, more details and the formal contract situation should be confirmed later,” the official added.
It looks likely that Cosco Shipyard Dalian and NACKS are also the recipients of COSCO Dalian’s tanker ordering spree, although spokespeople for both these yards refused to confirm the orders.
COSCO Dalian currently owns and controls more than 20 VLCCs and is the lead party in China’s first ever VLCC pool, which will see state run firms order as many as 70 to 80 tankers in a move that has sent shockwaves throughout the already depressed international VLCC market.