COSCO Shipping expands heavy-lift fleet and delivers first domestic VLGC

COSCO Shipping Specialised Carriers has announced plans to expand its multipurpose heavy-lift capacity by adding 22 vessels of 60,000 DWT. The expansion strategy includes eight newbuildings at Dalian COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry and six long-term bareboat charters to be built at Huanghai Shipbuilding for its Xiamen subsidiary. The newbuildings have a combined maximum price of CNY 5.248 billion excluding tax, with deliveries expected between 2029 and 2030.

Separately, COSCO SHIPPING (Qidong) Offshore has delivered the CHANG PING YUAN, China’s first domestically designed and built 88,000-cbm Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) under the Chinese flag. The vessel features LPG dual-fuel propulsion and is designed to transport ammonia, providing flexibility for future low-carbon fuel transport. The ship incorporates intelligent systems and energy-saving technologies, such as energy-saving ducts and a rudder bulb, to improve operational efficiency.