Key players drive high-quality growth of Taizhou's shipbuilding industry

A container ship built by Sanfu Shipbuilding in Taizhou is on its trial voyage. [Photo/Taizhou Daily]

Taizhou's shipbuilding industry has continued its upward trajectory this year, driven by major players like Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group and New Times Shipbuilding. This success is evident in the number of completed ships, new orders, and order backlog, all of which remain the highest in Jiangsu province.

Data reveals that in the first half of the year, the city's 15 shipbuilders above the designated scale achieved an output value of 27.65 billion yuan ($3.88 billion), marking a 26.5 percent year-on-year increase. Leading shipbuilders completed 70 ships totaling 5.83 million deadweight tons, a 10.5 percent rise from the previous year.

Key shipbuilders in Taizhou secured orders for 123 ships totaling 9.99 million deadweight tons from January to June, marking a 5.9 percent increase from the previous year. These new orders accounted for 44.4 percent of the provincial total, 18.4 percent of the national total, and 13.8 percent of the global total.

The city's shipbuilders are committed to technological innovation. Major companies are focusing on intelligent workshop upgrades and reducing dock installation times to improve production efficiency. New Times Shipbuilding, for instance, has completed an intelligent workshop equipped with 750 automated welding production lines, boosting productivity by approximately 25 percent.

Taizhou's shipbuilders are also planning for further growth. New Times Shipbuilding plans to launch its 10.15 billion yuan smart manufacturing project for new energy ships by the end of September.

"Taizhou is China's largest private shipbuilding base and a key ship export hub. We are now accelerating breakthroughs in high-tech and high-value-added areas," said Liu Jiangming, director of the Taizhou municipal bureau of industry and information technology.