Hudong-Zhonghua opens a massive new shipbuilding factory

To increase its production of LNG carriers, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, one of China’s leading shipyards, has put a massive new facility into service. Once fully operational, the state-run company’s yearly production of LNG carriers will increase from six to ten boats thanks to the new $2.5 billion, 432-hectare yard on Changxing Island, north of Shanghai.

China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s flagship location is Hudong-Zhonghua, which also houses the People’s Republic’s first LNG carrier, which was constructed there 17 years ago. Many Chinese yards are expanding, and the nation now controls two-thirds of the world’s ship orderbook. This dominance has many American politicians on edge, as the Donald Trump administration looks for ways to break China’s monopoly on shipbuilding.