China is set to become the world's leading shipbuilding nation by 2015 due in no small part to its growing energy demands, according to maritime classification group Det Norske Veritas (DNV). For reasons of national security, Beijing requires that at least half of all seaborne crude oil imports be carried by domestic vessels and, as a result, DNV expects China to build 40-50 supertankers over the next five years. A further 20 have been ordered for delivery by 2009, each weighing more than 300,000 dead weight tons with a US$130 million price tag, the South China Morning Post reported. Carried by this bumper investment, China will reel in Japan and South Korea to take top spot in the shipbuilding stakes.
Categories