Recently, Taizhou Kouan Shipbuilding has scored consecutive big wins in order acquisition. The company has successively signed contracts with Chipolbrok (Chinese－Polish Joint Stock Shipping Company) and Fujian Highton Development for the construction of two batches of nine 60,800 DWT multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels.
On January 5, Kouan Shipbuilding signed a contract with Chipolbrok for two 60,800 DWT bow-steered multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels. On January 7, Kouan Shipbuilding signed a contract with Highton Development for seven 60,800 DWT bow-steered multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels.
According to reports, this 60,800 DWT vessel is a brand-new type of multi-purpose heavy-lift vessel in the current market. Compared with the 62,000 DWT stern-steered multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels currently under construction at Kouan Shipbuilding, the new vessel type features a larger continuous flat deck area, higher deck cargo-carrying capacity and further enhanced lifting capacity of its onboard cranes.
The new vessel design features energy efficiency, environmental protection, safety, and practicality. Its main engine is equipped with a high-pressure SCR system, meeting Tier III nitrogen oxide emission requirements and complying with the highest standards of current international conventions for preventing ship pollution. The vessel’s energy efficiency design index meets the requirements of the International Maritime Organization’s Energy Efficiency Design Index Phase III (EEDI Phase III), making it a truly green and environmentally friendly vessel that aligns with the development requirements of green shipping.
It is worth mentioning that both Chipolbrok and Highton Development, who signed the contracts, are long-standing clients of Kouan Shipbuilding. Since 2023, Kouan Shipbuilding has delivered three 62,000 DWT multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels with aft-mounted bridges to Chipolbrok, with one more currently under construction. In 2014, Kouan Shipbuilding delivered three 51,000 DWT bulk carriers to Highton Development.