The 319,000-ton ammonia-ready ultra-large crude carrier "ATREBATES" Photo: VCG

China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Co on Monday delivered a 319,000-ton ammonia-ready ultra-large crude carrier (ULCC) to a Belgian shipowner in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, Xinhua News Agency reported. Named ATREBATES, the vessel is the first ammonia-ready ULCC built in Shandong and was delivered seven months ahead of the contract schedule, according to a social media post by the Shandong transport department.

ATREBATES is one of two under the contract. Both were named on November 4, with the second vessel called EBURONES.

ATREBATES is designed with space for two 6,000-cubic-meter ammonia fuel tanks, as well as the associated piping and control system layouts. Future conversion to ammonia fuel can be completed within 30 days, with significantly lower costs compared to traditional retrofits. Once ammonia fuel is adopted, the vessel could achieve "zero-carbon" emissions over its full lifecycle, said the post. 

The ship was independently designed and developed by China Ship Scientific Research Center. From the outset, the project followed higher standards and stricter requirements in design, procurement, and construction. To ensure efficient project execution, the CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Co established a dedicated team to optimize dock scheduling, achieving both high building quality and production efficiency. All performance metrics meet or exceed contractual requirements, said the post.

The EBURONES is also on track to be delivered eight months ahead of the contract schedule. The post pointed out that the successful construction and early delivery of these vessels mark CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Co's entry into the ULCC market and demonstrate the shipyard's significant advancements in production efficiency and management effectiveness.

Global Times