According to the official WeChat account of Hengli Group, Hengli Heavy Industries has successfully signed a contract with a well-known European shipowner for 2 very large crude carriers (VLCCs) with option vessels. With this latest order, Hengli Heavy Industries has secured eight new vessels in the VLCC market.
On June 24, 2025, Hengli Heavy Industries successfully named and delivered its first 306,000-dwt VLCC, ALIAKMON I, marking the official debut of the first VLCC built by Hengli Heavy Industries. Hengli Heavy Industries achieved a breakthrough from “0 to 1” in the field of ultra-large vessel construction.
This VLCC is built by Hengli Heavy Industries for Dynacom, a world-renowned shipowner, and independently developed and designed by the Ship Design and Research Center of Hengli Heavy Industry. The VLCC has an overall length of 332.8 meters, a beam of 60 meters, and a depth of 30 meters, with a speed of 14.5 knots. It is classified by Lloyd’s Register of Shipping (LR) and features distinct advantages such as high speed, light lightweight, and low energy consumption.
The VLCCs signed this time will adopt advanced technology and processes to meet the latest international environmental regulations and have higher energy efficiency and lower carbon emissions. It reflects Hengli Heavy Industries’ active exploration and leading position in the field of green shipbuilding, and also contributes China’s strength to promoting the sustainable development of the global shipping industry.
In recent years, Hengli Heavy Industries has been committed to improving its technical level and construction capabilities, continuously increasing its R&D investment and cultivating a team of professional talents. From ship design to production and manufacturing, from process optimization to quality control, Hengli Heavy Industries strives for excellence in every aspect.
In August of this year, Hengli Group revealed at the Hengli Green Marine Propulsion Development Conference that Hengli Heavy Industries has started construction on more than 70 vessels, with orders scheduled through 2029. Upon reaching full production capacity, Hengli Heavy Industries will process 2.3 million tons of steel plates annually, becoming the world’s largest and most comprehensive shipbuilding base.
In Hengli’s “Future Factory”, two world-class docks with a single length of 860 meters have been put into operation one after another; cutting-edge technologies such as automatic welding robots and dynamic automatic printing of steel plates are applied on a large scale. The intelligent production line has realized automated pipeline operations including cutting, welding, grinding, sorting and warehousing. “Large-scale processes” such as the enlargement of segments and grand blocks have been fully implemented.
Previously, Hengli Heavy Industries has successfully delivered the first vessel after restarting its shipbuilding business, the first 82,000-dwt bulk carrier, and the first 181,000-dwt bulk carrier has also been launched from the slipway.