Construction starts on two major repair docks in north China

Construction has started on two major repair docks in north China, which when finished would form part of the largest ship repair base in the country.

The docks, with an initial investment of one billion yuan (147 million U.S. dollars), would have a total dock size of 69,347 square meters, said Wang Zhiqiang, project manager with Shanhaiguan Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd. (SHGSIC).

The larger one of the two would be capable of repairing ships of 150,000 tonnes, with the other capable of taking ships of 100,000 tonnes.

The docks' construction started on April 23, with the building work estimated to last 16 months, Wang said.

Upon completion, SHGSIC would replace Qingdao Haixiwan Repair Base with 3 repair docks in the eastern Shandong Province, to be the largest ship repair base in China, he added.

Currently the company has two repair docks capable of repairing 50,000-tonne and 100,000-tonne ships respectively.

When the two new docks start working, the company's total industrial output value would rise 41 percent to 2.4 billion yuan compared to present figures, Wang said.

The company, a subsidiary of state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) founded in 1972, is based in Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province, and has done repair work for various overseas shipping companies from the Republic of Korea, Denmark, the United States, among others.

Source:Xinhua