On February 4, South Korea's "Korea Economy" published an article saying that a Chinese shipbuilding company won a contract for the construction of medium-sized bulk carriers from a Japanese shipbuilding company, and successfully contracted an order for the first time in history. Although this is a ship that is hardly manufactured by Korean shipbuilding companies, it is attracting attention because it is the first time that a Japanese shipbuilding company, which has traditionally ordered only from domestic shipbuilding companies, has ordered from China. Some people believe that the competitiveness and technical strength of Chinese shipbuilding enterprises have surpassed that of Japan, a maritime power.
According to shipbuilding and maritime **tradewinds, recently, China's New Ocean Shipbuilding signed a contract with a Japanese shipping company to build two 6Contract for 40,000 dwt bulk carriers. The company explained that since 2019, it has managed to win orders through five consecutive years of exchanges. It is estimated that the contract will be awarded for $34 million per ship.
Japanese shipping companies have traditionally placed orders with their own shipyards. Japanese companies used to be the production base that dominated the global shipbuilding industry, but now they only win orders from domestic shipping companies. Ships manufactured by Japanese shipyards are built to specifications and are designed to be easy for domestic shipping companies to operate.
According to the analysis, in this case, the Chinese shipbuilding company won the first contract of the Japanese shipping company because of its technical ability and competitiveness have been improved accordingly. By accumulating construction experience from Japanese shipping companies, it is possible to increase orders for ships other than medium-sized bulk carriers. According to Tradewinds, Japanese shipowners are the third largest shipowners after China and Greece, and this order is a milestone for Chinese shipbuilders.
"South Korean shipbuilders hardly build heavy bulk carriers, so they won't suffer losses from the contract itself, but the accelerated pace of expansion by Chinese shipbuilders is a threat," South Korean insiders said. ”
In the field of high value-added eco-friendly ships, Korean shipbuilding companies are considered to be superior. Since the beginning of the year, companies such as HD Korea Shipbuilding & Marine, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Hanwha Marine have been receiving orders for "ultra-large ammonia carriers". This is an area that is still difficult for Chinese shipbuilding to reach. It is worth noting that the ship ordered by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries on the 22nd of last month will be delivered in June 2028. This is the first time that an order has been placed under a single contract for a period of 4 years and 6 months.