World’s largest! China’s first VLEC built by a private shipbuilder completes its maiden sea trial.

Recently, the “ACS SP Voyager,” the world’s largest 100,000-cubic-meter very large ethane carrier (VLEC) independently built by Jiangsu Yangzi Xinfu Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., conducted its sea trial in Taixing City, Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, under the full‑scale support of the Taizhou Maritime Safety Administration.

This is the lead vessel of a series of five 100,000-cubic-meter VLECs built by Yangzi Xinfu for Singapore’s SP Chemicals. The ship has an overall length of 229.9 meters and a molded breadth of 36.5 meters, with a cargo capacity of 100,000 cubic meters. Designed by the China Ship & Ocean Engineering Design Institute (MARIC) and employing Type B cargo tank technology, it is among the first VLECs in China constructed by a private shipbuilding enterprise.

According to reports, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding secured an order from Xinpu Chemical in 2024 for five VLECs, with a total project investment of US$800 million (approximately RMB 5.7 billion). With this contract, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding has become the first private shipyard in China to enter the VLEC construction sector; prior to this, only Jiangnan Shipyard and Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore had delivered VLECs.

Founded in 1995, Xinpu Chemical has invested in the chemical industry in Taixing City through its wholly owned subsidiary in China, Xinpu Chemical (Taixing) Co., Ltd. After more than two decades of sustained growth and expansion, Xinpu Chemical (Taixing), leveraging its own resources, has transformed from a chlor-alkali producer into a petrochemical manufacturer. The company currently produces key products including ethylene, propylene, styrene, vinyl chloride monomer, caustic soda, chlorine, hydrogen, and other chemical feedstocks.

According to the company’s official website, Xinpu Chemical (Taixing) currently operates a 750,000‑ton‑per‑year ion‑exchange membrane caustic soda plant, a 900,000‑ton‑per‑year vinyl chloride plant, a 320,000‑ton‑per‑year styrene plant, a 650,000‑ton‑per‑year ethylene and 120,000‑ton‑per‑year propylene cracking unit, a 310,000‑ton‑per‑year high‑performance styrene polymer plant, and an in‑house combined heat and power plant. Leveraging the Yangtze River’s premier waterway, the facility is supported by three berths capable of directly accommodating ocean‑going vessels: one 10,000‑ton class liquid chemical berth, one 50,000‑ton class liquid chemical berth, and one 50,000‑ton class general‑purpose bulk‑cargo berth.

Dalian COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry has successively reached key milestones in its series of grain carriers.

Two 9,330-ton general cargo vessels delivered on the same day by CSSC Guangxi

Dalian COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry has successively reached key milestones in its series of grain carriers.

Two 9,330-ton general cargo vessels delivered on the same day by CSSC Guangxi