STX claims its Dalian yard is largest in the world

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2009 Jul 02

A shipyard that has laid claim to be the largest in the world in terms of physical size held a launching ceremony Wednesday at Changxing Island in Dalian. STX (Dalian) Shipbuilding Co Ltd, a subsidiary of the STX Group from the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the investor of the project, said the yard was now the largest in the world in terms of physical area. The firm did not reveal the cost of the yard.

Used for final assembly of big ships, the drydock is 460 m long, with a width of 135 m and a height of 14.5 m. It is able to accommodate two ships each with a dead weight tonnage of 320,000 tons to be built simultaneously, said the company.

The former largest shipyard in the world in terms of physical size was built by ROK-based Hanjin Heavy Industries in the Philippines. The Dalian dock is 1 m longer and 1 m wider than its Filipino counterpart, the STX (Dalian) Shipbuilding said while its physical area dwarfs the Hanjin yard. Changxing Island is filling up fast with new yards and port projects. It is situated about two hours drive from downtown Dalian. Dalian is already home to China's largest shipbuilding yard, DSIC, which recently scooped the shipbuilding trophy at the annual Seatrade Asia Awards.

STX Group, the fourth largest shipbuilding company in the world in terms of orders received, started to invest in Changxing Island in 2006 and has since increased its investment there to 13.4 billion yuan ($1.96 billion). However, due to restrictions in place from Beijing, as a foreign shipbuilder it cannot build beyond ships beyond 100,000 dwt.

Source: Seatrade Asia Online

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