In the magical city of Yangshan Port, this world-class port that was just completed this year has gathered many media from around the world today. Of course, just a port would not be so eye-catching, but today a new ship naming and handover ceremony will be held here.
If it is an aircraft carrier, it is normal to attract global attention. After all, it is a maritime dominance weapon, but it will never allow so much media coverage. But what was handed over today was just a cargo ship, but this cargo ship was actually the largest cargo ship in the world!
The world's largest cargo ship was the Nock Nevis in Nanyang, a very large crude oil carrier that was once named the Sea Giant. It was designed and manufactured by the island country's Sumitomo Heavy Machinery Industries Co., Ltd.
However, the Knock Nevis was just declared scrapped last month. In fact, the ship's transportation costs have been rising in the past two years, its fuel consumption is too high, and its maintenance and operating costs have remained high. It has already made a profit. No more money.
So while everyone was still vying for the title of the world's largest cargo ship, China issued an announcement that a super-large cargo ship with a length of more than 400 meters, a width of 60 meters, and a height of more than 73 meters has been produced. Upon completion, the number of fully loaded containers reached 19,530, the highest number in history.
Another point is that this cargo ship carries the largest scull engine. Although the horsepower is not the highest, it is just right for use on this cargo ship.
This ship belongs to the Taihua Holding Group. Today, not only the representatives of the designer and manufacturer of China Shipbuilding Industry and the Taihua Holding Group are here, but also the leader of China, Zhang Ruiqiang, is here.
Zhang Ruiqiang was invited to give an opening speech. He declined and walked to the stage. Seeing so many business representatives and media representatives in the audience, Zhang Ruiqiang was very excited.
China's shipbuilding industry used to be so backward, with a gap of more than 20 years between it and developed countries. Now, China has been able to design and manufacture the world's largest cargo ships.
Moreover, this self-designed and manufactured product was completely completed by the Chinese people themselves. They did not cooperate with foreign shipbuilding companies or hire foreign designers, which made him feel extremely proud.
Although the state has invested a lot of money in China Shipbuilding Industry, in fact, it mainly serves naval and military equipment, and civilian use is only as an auxiliary.
Later, I learned from those foreign shipyards and developed both military and civilian applications at the same time. The civilian revenue was used to subsidize military investment.
When this company reported that it would build the world's largest freighter, Zhang Ruiqiang and the others didn't believe it.
One is that China's technology is not as powerful as foreign countries, especially not as powerful as island countries and South Korea. As for Europe and the United States, it is comparable.
In addition, I also wonder who to sell such a large ship to? They all want to see which shipping group placed the order. Why didn't they know it before
When they saw the name of the company that placed the order, they were stunned. It was not a large state-owned enterprise as they thought, but Taihua Holdings Group, Feng Yu's company.
They are all curious, doesn't Taihua Holdings Group have no logistics trade? If it is to build a ship to transport minerals, it is relatively normal. After all, Feng Yu controls the world's largest mining group.
Mineral transportation must mainly use cargo ships, but the cargo ships that transport minerals are different from the cargo ships that use containers. The ones that transport minerals are bulk carriers.
Someone asked, did Feng Yu order it for someone else? But it was immediately rejected by others. It was clearly written on it that it was for personal use.
If you really order for others, why use the name of Taihua Holdings? It's not like they don't allow the sale of boats, let alone for civilian use. This is normal trade.
Zhang Ruiqiang called Feng Yu and asked if there was a mistake. Feng Yu said bluntly that he was right, the boat was customized according to his requirements. And one ship is not enough, he needs at least five.
Because the price he gave was very high, the contract with China Shipbuilding Industry stated that their order had priority and would be completed as soon as possible. After this ship was delivered, the remaining four ships would be delivered within three years.
Although Taihua Holdings Group itself does not have a logistics business, who says it must not be able to develop it
The logistics company they opened in the United States with Fengyu Logistics and Shunfeng Logistics has already opened. This ship is a merchant ship used to travel between the United States and China.
Just the goods from the subsidiaries of Taihua Holding Group and Fengyu Holding Group can ensure that this freighter will not be short of transportation orders. If the international logistics business is also launched, one ship will not be enough.
Their ship is comparable to the previous two ships, but its operating cost is only 70% of the combined cost of the previous two ships. Just this part alone can save much cost and increase profits.
If it were before, then it would be impossible for this big ship to dock in the United States. The draft would have to be close to 16 meters deep, which is simply not reachable by those ports in the United States.
But now there is no need to worry. A pier berth has been renovated and can accommodate such giant cargo ships. This first voyage is from the Magic City of China to Los Angeles, the United States, stopping at the island country to load and unload some cargo.
After Zhang Ruiqiang delivered his opening speech, the handover ceremony began. The chairman of China Shipbuilding Industry Group and Zong Qingxian signed the handover. This custom-made cargo ship, currently the world's largest, was named Taihua.
Standing next to the Taihua, anyone will feel insignificant. Everyone's eyes were fixed on this behemoth.
Some shipping experts have studied that cargo ships with 18,000 to 20,000 standard containers will become the mainstream at sea in the future. With large carrying capacity and low operating costs, it will be the choice of all shipping companies.
Theoretically, even larger cargo ships, such as cargo ships with 22,000 to 23,000 standard containers, should be able to be produced with existing technology.
But why haven’t companies ordered it? Is it too expensive? No, it's because there is no port to dock.
Let’s not talk about the United States. Before Feng Yu and Li Chaoren invested, the West Coast could not even dock a port for 12,000 cargo ships. In places with better port development in Asia and Europe, it is difficult to dock such a large ship. The cost of rebuilding the dock is too high and may not be cost-effective.
In the future, Fengyu Logistics and Shunfeng Logistics will each need two such large freighters. As these freighters dock around the world, the names of these two logistics companies will become more and more famous, and their business will also develop more and more. The better.
The media continued to take photos and interviews, and the CEOs of some companies have begun to communicate with the chairman of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation about the cost of the ship and the approximate operating costs. If it is suitable, they will also order it.
Seeing these situations, Zhang Ruiqiang was very excited. China's shipbuilding industry is on the rise!