With the owner’s representative pressing the starting button for the first steel plate cutting, the 20,000-ton lifting capacity floating dock project undertaken by Watts Energy for Saudi SOFON INDUSTRIES officially kicked off at the company’s Qidong Production Facility.
Against the backdrop of accelerated global green transition of shipping industry, demands for ship dual-fuel power, energy efficiency upgrading and decarbonization conversion keep rising, and the market demand for special clean energy marine equipment hits new highs year after year. For years, Watts Energy has deeply engaged in R&D and manufacturing of LNG/LPG/LEG/LCO₂ full industrial chain containment and control system equipment, and delivered multiple benchmark projects in the industry: super-large FLNG, Type A LPG cargo tanks supporting VLGC, the world’s largest 30,000 m³ onshore LPG accumulator, the world’s first CCS carbon capture LCO₂ storage tank, and the world’s first 7,000 TEU LNG-powered container ship equipped with Type B fuel tank and high-pressure FGSS system.
Relying on five core technical strengths including storage tank & system design development, manufacturing of large-scale pressure-bearing steel structures, high-difficulty special welding, full-process non-destructive testing and international standardized project management, the company has established strong technological advantages in clean energy equipment.
Meanwhile, the company keeps expanding its industrial boundary and reached in-depth strategic cooperation with COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry. Its ship repair and energy efficiency conversion business has maintained steady growth year by year, making it the preferred repair & conversion base for multiple international shipowners, and injecting strong momentum into Qidong, Jiangsu to build an export-oriented ship supporting service industry.
Earlier June, WattSpan Maritime, a general contractor enterprise for ship power conversion jointly operated by Watts Energy and SEASPAN (the world’s largest independent container shipowner), celebrated its first anniversary. The enterprise successfully delivered the world’s first methanol dual-fuel conversion project for 10,000 TEU container ships, providing mature and replicable green conversion solutions for global shipping decarbonization.
From storage tank equipment and system modules to ship repair and green conversion, Watts Energy has steadily evolved its industrial role and transformed into an integrated solution provider for marine new energy. The launch of this 20,000-ton floating dock project will create synergies in capabilities with the company’s existing clean energy equipment and ship low-carbon conversion technologies, further improving the full-chain green shipping industrial ecosystem.
The project owner SOFON INDUSTRIES is a core backbone enterprise of Saudi Aramco’s marine division, covering ship construction and repair business under its umbrella and operating Saudi International Maritime Industries (IMI) Shipyard, one of the leading shipyards in the Middle East. This cooperation marks a vital expansion of Watts Energy’s overseas business territory, as well as the company’s first footprint in the Middle East market and first partnership with top international energy, chemical and marine engineering enterprises, of landmark strategic significance.
Watts Energy has already established a multi-point global footprint: within 2026, the company delivered the world’s first super-large onshore LPG accumulator to Canadian clients and mass-produced LNG marine fuel tanks for Korean clients. The business model has gradually upgraded from single-product export to a multi-faceted international expansion model featuring standard alignment, local service and industrial ecosystem co-construction, deeply embedding into the global high-end marine equipment industrial chain.
The landing of the 20,000-ton lifting capacity floating dock project serves as a key milestone for Watts Energy to leap from “specialized manufacturing of single product category” to “collaborative development of multi-categories”, symbolizing the core business transformation and upgrading of the enterprise.Previously, Watts Energy’s core strengths centered on clean energy storage & transportation equipment, focusing on precision manufacturing of special storage tanks and high-pressure pressure vessels.