During the Marintec China 2025, shipyards under China Merchants Industry secured major new shipbuilding orders.
Order for 1+3 sailing cruise ships
On December 2, China Merchants Cruise Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and Mystic Cruises held a signing ceremony for a 1+3 sailing cruise ship construction contract. Mario Ferreira, President of Mystic Cruises, and Mei Zhonghua, Deputy General Manager of China Merchants Shipbuilding Industry and General Manager of China Merchants Cruise Shipbuilding, signed the agreement on behalf of both parties. Key executives from Mystic Cruises and China Merchants Shipbuilding Industry attended and witnessed the signing.
The 1+3 sailing cruise ships contracted in this agreement feature a trinity new energy propulsion system. Building upon this signing as a starting point, both parties will deepen cooperation and advance together to establish this series of wind-powered cruise ships as a global benchmark for green cruising, injecting powerful new momentum into the high-quality development of the cruise industry.
Mystic Cruises is a unique ocean cruise line specializing in polar voyages and eco-friendly technological innovation, offering immersive expedition experiences aboard small luxury vessels. The company currently operates four expedition vessels in the same series: the WORLD VOYAGER, WORLD NAVIGATOR, WORLD TRAVELLER, and WORLD EXPLORER, all constructed by the West Sea Shipyard located in Viana do Castelo, Portugal.
According to a September report by cruiseindustrynews, Mario Ferreira stated in an interview that due to some major Portuguese and European shipyards being fully booked with limited resources, while others lacked the necessary qualifications to build such cruise ships, Mystic planned to construct a series of new 20,000-ton vessels at a shipyard in Asia. Concurrently, the company would seek support from Portuguese, German, French, and Italian enterprises for this initiative.
According to United Waterways’ official website, the aforementioned order for eight cruise ships includes four coastal cruise ships and four expedition cruise ships, all to be constructed by China Merchants Jiangsu Heavy Industry. The first vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2028. United Waterways stated that China Merchants Jiangsu Heavy Industry was selected due to the shipyard’s extensive experience in building expedition cruise ships for other renowned expedition brands.
Order for six 342,000 DWT VLOCs
On December 3, China Merchants Industry Qingdao Shipyard successfully signed a contract with German shipowner Neu Seeschiffahrt for the construction of six 342,000 DWT VLOCs.
This marks the first batch of VLOC orders secured by China Merchants Industry Qingdao Shipyard since its integration into China Merchants Shipbuilding Industry. The successful implementation of this project signifies a new chapter for Qingdao Shipyard in its strategic focus on “oil tankers, container ships and bulk carriers” as its core product portfolio, and represents a significant stride toward achieving its strategic goal of becoming “China’s premier commercial shipbuilding base.”
The newly contracted VLOC features advanced design and outstanding performance. Green and eco-friendly principles were integrated throughout the entire development process, enabling the vessel not only to meet the world’s most stringent current emission standards but also to proactively pave the way for future deep decarbonization.
This VLOC incorporates an advanced “methanol-ready” design. The hull structure has been specifically reinforced for future conversion to methanol dual-fuel propulsion, with pre-installed fuel tank space and piping passages. Additionally, the deck area reserves structural interfaces for retrofitting energy-saving devices such as rotor sails. This comprehensive design enables shipowners to flexibly adopt clean energy sources like green methanol and wind power at minimal cost and with the shortest turnaround time, efficiently upgrading propulsion systems to achieve emission reduction targets.