CSTC & CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding (QBS), two subsidiaries of CSSC, have entered into shipbuilding contracts with a famous European owner for the construction of two more Ammonia-ready Newcastlemax bulk carriers, which indicates that CSTC and QBS have obtained orders for 10 bulk carriers of 210,000 DWT from the owner.

In the process of receiving orders for 10 ships of the same type before and after, CSTC and QBS have continuously improved their market share and right to speak in the segmented market of this type of bulk carrier, with closely following market trends, grasping cutting-edge technologies, responding to the industry transformation and actively maintaining close communication with shipowners. At present, the number of orders for this type of ship ranks first in the world, of which the six ones are designed as  “Ammonia-Ready”.

The newbuildings will be in 300m length, 50m width, 25.2m depth, 16.1m design draft, 18.4m scantling draft, with a speed of 14.5 knots, and meet the requirements of Tier III emission standard of the IMO, EEDI Phase III as well as ABS notation of Ammonia Fuel Ready Level 2D (S). The high-efficiency design is ready to be converted with two ammonia fuel tanks of 3000m3 for carbon neutral operation.

As ammonia is carbon-free and doesn't emit any CO2 when used as a fuel for internal combustion engines, it turns to be one of the promising zero-carbon fuels that could help meet the IMO's goal of reducing emissions by 50% by 2050 compared to 2008.

In order to meet the urgent needs of shipowners to apply ammonia fuel on large bulk carriers, the technical team of QBS has worked diligently in structural optimization, overall research, fuel tank selection and arrangement, fuel supply system research and hazard identification, etc.

This is the first order of the year for the global Newcastlemax newbuilding market against a backdrop of various uncertainties. It not only reflects the recognition and trust of the owner in QBS and CSSC, but also become one of the outstanding references for CSSC to develop the global high value-added green ship business.