On January 5, China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES), a shipping company controlled by China Merchants Group, issued an announcement regarding the construction of new shuttle tankers, announcing that it would invest nearly RMB 1.8 billion (approximately US$258 million) to order up to two shuttle tankers.
The announcement disclosed that CMES, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Associated Maritime Company (Hong Kong) Limited (AMCL), formally signed a “Shipbuilding Agreement” with Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (DSIC) on December 31, 2025. The deal is for 1+1 154,000 DWT DP2 class dynamic positioning shuttle tankers (Suezmax class), with a total agreement price of approximately RMB 1.79 billion and a scheduled delivery in 2028.
According to the announcement, CMES has invested in the construction of 1 firm + 1 option dynamically positioned shuttle tankers to meet core clients’ demand for transport capacity in deepwater oilfield development projects, and has signed long-term time charter contracts with the clients.
According to official website information, DSIC was founded in 1898. As a key assembly enterprise under China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited, it serves as a major surface vessel construction base in China and a significant manufacturing hub for high-end ships and offshore engineering equipment.
DSIC primarily operates in three major sectors: defense industry, marine and offshore industry, and emerging industries. The defense sector mainly includes the final assembly, construction, and maintenance of defense products. The marine and offshore sector primarily covers the final assembly, construction, repair, and conversion of marine and offshore equipment, as well as the construction of supporting marine and offshore equipment. Emerging industries mainly cover large-scale steel structures for construction projects, bridges, and wind power facilities; environmental protection equipment for VOCs and particulate matter control; explosive composite materials; and tools and tooling.
The headquarters, located in Dalian, serves as the R&D center, marketing center and management center. The three bases are Dalian Base, Tianjin Base and Shanhaiguan Base. Dalian Base is positioned as a hub for the final assembly, construction, maintenance, repair and modification of defense-related products, as well as the construction of high-value-added civilian vessels and offshore engineering projects. Shanhaiguan Base focuses on high-end ship repair and the construction of small-to-medium-sized civilian vessels. Tianjin Base specializes in the batch construction of large container ships, bulk carriers and oil tankers. The company covers a total area of approximately 12 million square meters, with 19 ship docks, 8 slipways and 18.4 kilometers of outfitting quays.