Recently, the China Academy of Sciences’ South China Sea Institute of Oceanology officially announced the winning bidder for the surface support mother ship project related to its cold seep ecosystem research facility.
China State Shipbuilding Corporation Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding was awarded the contract with a bid amount of 591.96 million yuan (approximately US$83.11 million).
According to the tender documents, the new ship measures 124 meters in length, 27.2 meters in width, and 9.5 meters in midship depth. It has a design draft of 4.8 meters, a full load draft of 6.8 meters and a design displacement of 9,380 tons.
In addition to the special-purpose vessel, Huangpu Wenchong has also secured multiple new orders in the container ship market. The shipowners include Morocco’s Transocean Maritime, Ningbo Ocean Shipping, and Greece’s Alberta Shipmanagement, primarily for small and medium-sized container ships.