A Strong Start! Mawei Shipbuilding Delivers Dual-Fuel Car Carrier Four Months Ahead of Schedule

On January 6, the “OCEAN EXPLORER” (XSI463J), a 7,500-vehicle LNG dual-fuel Ro-Ro vessel built by Mawei Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of Fujian Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, for Sallaum Lines, was successfully delivered—four months ahead of schedule. This marks an energetic start to the first quarter of 2026 and sets the tone for a promising year ahead.

The vessel has a total length of 199.9 meters, a molded length of 195.6 meters, a molded breadth of 38 meters, and a molded depth of 14.8 meters. Its design draft is 8.65 meters, with a maximum draft of 10 meters. The ship’s propulsion system is designed with a single engine and single propeller, featuring an LNG dual-fuel main engine, a single bow thruster, and an electric RORO system. The cargo hold is equipped with 13 vehicle decks. The vessel is primarily used for transporting various types of vehicles—including heavy-duty trucks—as well as packaged hazardous goods. It can also carry new-energy vehicles fueled by hydrogen and natural gas on decks 11, 12, and 13. The vessel is classed by ABS.

During the construction process, the project team fully leveraged the experience gained from building similar vessels, further refined the modular block construction techniques, and promoted integrated “hull, outfitting, and painting” operations. They also actively adopted advanced technologies such as ERP/MES systems, intelligent welding robots, and laser cutting, thereby significantly shortening the shipyard’s construction cycle. Meanwhile, through meticulous control across the entire process, the vessel completed its first trial run for oil and gas in just three days and three nights. As a result, the vessel was delivered nearly four months ahead of schedule, fully demonstrating Fujian Shipbuilding’s technical prowess and project management capabilities in the design and construction of Ro-Ro ships for automobile transport.

Currently, the global shipping industry is accelerating its transition toward greener and smarter operations. The LNG dual-fuel Ro-Ro vessel recently delivered boasts remarkable low-carbon and environmentally friendly features, making it highly aligned with the global “dual-carbon” strategic goals and positioning it as a new star ship type in the shipping market. The successful delivery of this vessel not only provides Sallaum Lines, the shipowner, with green and efficient equipment to expand into global markets but also injects fresh momentum into the deepening of strategic cooperation between the two parties and their joint efforts to promote high-quality development of the shipping industry.

Taking this delivery as a starting point, Fujian Shipbuilding will continue to uphold innovation-driven and lean manufacturing practices, actively seize opportunities in the green shipping market, and continuously enhance its capability to build high-end vessel types, thus writing more “Fujian Shipbuilding chapters” for high-quality development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.