Nantong Xiangyu Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering has reopened a previously bankrupt yard along the Yangtze.
Last year, the shipbuilder won the auction to take over Jiangsu Hongqiang Ship Heavy Industry, and it has been renovating the facility in the intervening months. The site had been shut since 2018.
The new yard – now renamed Qidong Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering – has reopened for business, and features three docks, boosting its parent’s output by 60%.
Across China, shipyards are expanding and churning out ships on a scale not seen since 2008.
Last week, Splash reported on Chinese seafood giant Chishan Group’s decision to enter the shipbuilding business with the acquisition and restructuring of Shandong Baibuting Shipbuilding, a historic yard located in Rongcheng, Shandong province. The newly renamed Shandong Fulton Shipbuilding marks the group’s strategic expansion amid a broader revival of private sector shipyard assets across China.
Major Chinese shipyards are operating near full capacity following a multi-year order boom. Constraints on production slots have triggered renewed interest in dormant or underutilised private yards, with over a dozen acquisitions or restarts reported since 2023.
