The first vessel has been launched! A long-established shipyard in Hubei, with orders exceeding RMB 10 billion, is making a full-fledged comeback.

On the morning of September 7, the DC15,000‑ton multipurpose vessel built by China Merchants Shipbuilding’s Qingshan Shipyard was completed and entered the launching and commissioning phase. This marks the first vessel to be launched since Qingshan Shipyard resumed shipbuilding operations; the long‑dormant, time‑honored Hubei‑based shipyard is now making a full‑scale comeback in the new‑build market.

The newly launched 15,000‑ton multipurpose vessel has an overall length of 149.9 meters, a molded breadth of 23.5 meters, a design draft of 8.5 meters, and a service speed of 14.1 knots, with an endurance of 11,000 nautical miles. The ship features self‑handling capabilities, enabling it to carry bulk cargo, containers, and large cylindrical equipment. It incorporates a modular double‑deck configuration that accommodates diverse cargo types and can operate in ice‑covered waters and polar regions, while complying with the navigation requirements of the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Panama Canal, ensuring broad global seaworthiness. In terms of environmental performance, its main engine and generators are equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems and run on low‑sulfur fuel, fully meeting the International Maritime Organization’s latest emission‑reduction standards, thereby delivering strong market competitiveness.

According to reports, the predecessor of China Merchants Shipbuilding’s Qingshan Shipyard—the Wuhan Qingshan Shipyard of the Changhang Group—was once Hubei Province’s largest civilian shipbuilding facility. Over 69 years, it built a total of 630 vessels, including 218 exported ships, and was renowned as “China’s premier chemical tanker shipyard,” setting numerous industry firsts. In April 2018, in response to the national call to strengthen supply-side structural reform and reduce excess capacity, the Qingshan Shipyard completely exited the shipbuilding market and shifted its focus to steel structure fabrication, ship repair, and ship conversion services.

In February this year, Qingshan Shipyard completed the share transfer and asset handover, becoming part of China Merchants Shipbuilding Group. Leveraging the full‑chain resources of China Merchants Group, it has reentered the shipbuilding market, focusing on the construction of medium‑ and small‑size, high‑value vessels such as chemical tankers, multi‑purpose heavy‑lift ships, and 1,800‑TEU container ships, thereby establishing itself as another key shipbuilding base under China Merchants Shipbuilding.

Subsequently, Qingshan Shipyard completed the changes to its shareholders and corporate name. On March 26, the company’s shareholder was changed from China Yangtze River Shipping Group Co., Ltd. to Shenzhen China Merchants Bureau Offshore Engineering Investment Co., Ltd., with its equity officially integrated into the China Merchants Shipbuilding system; on May 7, the company was formally renamed China Merchants Shipbuilding Industry Group Wuhan Qingshan Shipyard Co., Ltd.

With the resumption of its shipbuilding operations, Qingshan Shipyard has also seen a rapid surge in new orders. Currently, the yard is focusing on advancing its “High-Tech Green Shipbuilding Intelligent Manufacturing Capacity Enhancement Project,” which encompasses the construction of new smart workshops, digitalization initiatives, and the upgrading of key equipment. As of the end of August, Qingshan Shipyard had secured more than 30 active shipbuilding contracts, with the total value of its order backlog and pending commitments exceeding RMB 10 billion, and its production schedule now extended through 2029.

A responsible official from Qingshan Shipyard stated that the company will take this first vessel’s launch as a new starting point, leveraging the China Merchants Group’s comprehensive industrial-chain advantages to anchor itself in a development path characterized by “high-end, intelligent, and green” technologies. By focusing on niche segments such as feeder container vessels, small- and medium-sized multi-purpose heavy-lift ships, and small- and medium-sized oil‑chemical tankers, the shipyard aims to become a benchmark enterprise for smart manufacturing in the Central China region, contributing Qingshan’s strength to Hubei’s efforts to accelerate the development of an inland‑waterway green and intelligent shipbuilding industry cluster.