The global shipbuilding industry is agog with goings on on the mainland. Will the country become the world leader by 2015, South Koreans and Japanese ask in a concerned voice.

This year has seen some significant developments that point to the country's growth such as: the successful series construction of the country's first VLCCs, built at Dalian New Shipbuilding (a finalist at this year's Maritime Asia Awards alongside Korean heavyweights Daewoo and Hyundai Heavy) for National Iranian Tanker Company, more export orders of higher value ships than ever before, plans announced for the largest shipyard in the world and a growing realization around the world that Chinese yards, by and large, build very decent ships at competitive prices. One area that the Chinese could lean a lot from the Japanese is making their 25 plus year old yards more efficient. Better use of cramped space will be a key at many of the older yards while the new ones don't have to worry about such constraints - just look at Shanghai Waigaiqiao Shipyard which delivered its first vessel this year - the layout and look of the yard is distinctly Korean, something worth emulating.

Date: 01 December 2003