In 2021, international shipping costs soared, and “one ship is difficult to find” and even “one container is difficult to find” were frequently staged. This also brought fire to the shipbuilding industry upstream of the industrial chain. Orders from China’s major shipyards have soared, and Jiangnan Shipbuilding, Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Group Co.Ltd(600648) shipbuilding and other shipyards are in full production, with shipments scheduled to 2024 or even 2025.
according to the data previously released by China Cssc Holdings Limited(600150) Industry Association, the growth of new shipbuilding orders in China in 2021 was more than 20 percentage points higher than that in the world. According to Clarkson, a British Shipbuilding and shipping analysis agency, in January this year, China received 1.47 million revised total tons of orders, accounting for nearly half of the world.
It doesn’t mean that China has become the largest shipbuilding country in the world. In an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Agency, Hu Keyi, member of the CPPCC National Committee, vice chairman of the Shanghai municipal Party committee of the China Democratic Construction Association and director of the science and Technology Committee of Jiangnan Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd., said that at present, China has taken the lead in the construction of many ship types in the world, but in terms of construction efficiency, there is still a certain gap between Chinese shipyards and the most advanced Korean shipyards.
Especially for some “difficult” ship types, such as LNG (liquefied natural gas) ships, there is still a gap between Chinese shipyards and the world’s most advanced level in terms of production capacity and construction level. At present, only a few shipyards can build luxury cruise ships. In the construction of high value-added ships, such as LNG ships and super large container ships, in fact, most global orders are taken by Korean enterprises.
Liu Zheng, deputy to the National People’s Congress and former chairman of Dalian shipbuilding industry group Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Cssc Holdings Limited(600150) Group Co., Ltd., also believes that China Cssc Holdings Limited(600150) industry must have a high sense of crisis, not be complacent, aim at the forefront of scientific and technological innovation in the shipbuilding industry, and continuously improve its re innovation ability on the basis of continuous introduction, digestion and absorption, Improve the ability of R & D and basic research of key core technologies and equipment, and avoid “neck sticking”.
Hu Keyi has been engaged in the shipbuilding industry for more than 40 years and witnessed how China’s shipbuilding industry has caught up with and stepped onto the world stage. He participated in the design of the “China Jiangnan type” Panamanian bulk carrier. After the first ship was delivered in 1987, it was listed on the international shipping exchange in London and named “China Jiangnan type”. “Being listed as a separate ship type has become a model selection in the international shipping market, which shows that it has a certain reputation, which is of landmark significance in the history of Chinese shipbuilding,” Hu Keyi said.
Since then, China’s shipbuilding industry has developed rapidly. From 2005 to 2006, China’s shipbuilding capacity has increased significantly. Subsequently, the technical level and independent supporting capacity of the shipbuilding industry have also increased significantly. Now a new wave of global ship market is coming. Hu Keyi said that this time there is no such panic. The overall competitiveness of shipbuilding enterprises, supporting industries and industrial basic supply chain is relatively strong.
He said that at present, most shipyards in China are “full”, and the orders and production capacity are relatively saturated, but this does not mean that shipyards can “make money”. Affected by the sharp rise in commodity prices, the prices of raw materials required for shipbuilding are rising, and the profit margins of shipyards are seriously overstocked. If there are too many orders and the exchange rate fluctuates sharply, the shipyard may not make money, “so the more orders, the better, this is a complex choice”.
Last year, affected by the sharp rise in international shipping prices, there was a strong demand for container ships, and some container ships that had been used for 20 years sold at a high price. Hu Keyi said that although the shipyard will receive more orders for the construction of container ships, this is a special situation under the influence of the epidemic. In the future, with the gradual recovery of shipping efficiency, there may be a surplus of container ships next year or even in the second half of this year. We must pay attention not to blindly expand energy production.
What are the most needed breakthroughs and innovations in China’s shipbuilding industry in the future? Hu Keyi believes that it may be in the construction of green “zero carbon” ships. Although the proportion of carbon emissions in the shipbuilding industry is not high, it is very difficult to reduce emissions. He believes that it is necessary to find alternative energy sources through new technologies, such as using new energy sources such as ammonia and hydrogen as fuels. But at present, this kind of engine technology is still not enough, and the supporting industry has to keep up. In addition, the energy density of green ammonia and green hydrogen is not enough, and the refueling needs to be stopped on the way of long-distance cross ocean routes, so the location of the refueling point needs to be discussed and determined.
Wen Zhenfu, member of the CPPCC National Committee and Hubei Energy Group Co.Ltd(000883) general manager, also paid attention to the construction of green and low-carbon ships. He suggested that the national mandatory standards should be formulated, the LNG power substitution of ships should be promoted, the transformation time limit should be defined according to the types and years of ships, and the “gasification of the Yangtze River” should be realized on the premise of ensuring safety.
