On May 29, 2024, the first ship of the German Tanker Shipping (GTS) 41000 deadweight ton oil tanker project, jointly undertaken by Mawei Shipbuilding and Xiamen Shipbuilding Heavy Industry, officially began construction at Xiamen Shipbuilding Heavy Industry. On the same day, the two alternative ship contracts for the project also officially came into effect, and GTS increased the number of 41000 deadweight ton oil tankers it built at Xiamen Shipbuilding Heavy Industry to six.

The commencement ceremony was presided over by Liu Haizhen, Deputy General Manager of Xiamen Shipbuilding Heavy Industry, and speeches were delivered by Ulrich Niebusch, General Manager of GTS Company, and Wang Nenghua, General Manager of Xiamen Shipbuilding Heavy Industry. Under the witness of relevant leaders and guests from GTS, DNV classification society, Ship Broker, Link Marine management company, Shanghai FKAB company, and Xiamen Shipbuilding Heavy Industry, General Manager Ulrich Niebusch activated the ignition button to start construction, and the first 41000 deadweight ton oil tanker (XSI501A) officially began construction.

The 41000DWT tanker has a total length of approximately 199 meters, a width of 32.20 meters, a depth of 16.6 meters, a design draft of 11.10 meters, a structural draft of 12 meters, and a designed draft capacity of 41000 tons. The design complies with the latest environmental regulations and is equipped with a ballast water treatment system and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system, meeting the new regulations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

It is understood that GTS placed an order with Xiamen Shipbuilding Heavy Industry in November last year to build 4+2 41000 deadweight ton ice grade oil tankers. This is the first time GTS has placed an order for ships in over a decade, and also the first time the company has ordered new ships from a shipyard outside of Germany. The first four ships will be delivered with 2 each in 2025 and 2026.

These new ships are propelled by battery hybrid power, with a cost of nearly 60 million US dollars each. With the confirmation of alternative orders, the total transaction value will reach 360 million US dollars (approximately RMB 2.61 billion).

GTS's order is Xiamen Shipbuilding Heavy Industry's first oil tanker order. Xiamen Shipbuilding Heavy Industry actively innovates the management work special team mechanism, and high-quality promotes the progress of the 41000 deadweight ton oil tanker project with an excellent design and construction team and meticulous production plan. The two important milestones of the start and effectiveness of the new ship are excellent achievements in sprinting towards the "double over half" mark, and also indicate that Xiamen Shipbuilding Heavy Industry has made a good start in the market development of oil and chemical ship projects. It also means that the enterprise has taken an important step in striving to build a high-quality oil and chemical ship brand.