Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding opens LNG carrier manufacturing facility

China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) subsidiary Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding opened a new manufacturing facility in Liaoning province on Monday, May 19.

The facility on Changxing Island will have a total area of 431.8 hectares and will be used primarily in the construction of new LNG carriers.

CSSC invested a total of CNY18 billion (US$2.5 billion) for the construction of the facility, which is being done in phases. The first phase, which covers approximately 214.6 hectares, has areas for hull joint works, curved segment assembly and welding, outfitting of parts modules, and coating.

There are also indoor and open-air docks, a harbour pool, and an outfitting wharf.

The facility features a number of intelligent systems such as automated manufacturing equipment and big data management systems.

CSSC expects that, upon completion of the Changxing Island project, Hudong-Zhonghua's production capacity will be greatly enhanced, and the yard's LNG carrier construction capacity will be increased from the current annual output of six to more than 10.