By Lin Guan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-10-10 11:16

Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Corp Ltd, China's biggest shipyard, upped its rank to number four in the world in terms of orders at hand. The company points to a combination of technical innovation and an expanded product range.

Noting that innovation activities topped the agenda at Dalian Shipbuilding, top official Wen Daozhang from the plant said innovation was the only way for Dalian Shipbuilding to grow.

Strong domestic and overseas demand was a source for the ship plant's new orders, 70 percent of which come from outside the country.

Because of its high product quality and competitive prices, current order volumes mean Dalian Shipbuilding will work non-stop without taking any new orders until 2011. Current yearly revenue reached 12 billion yuan (US$1.60 billion) and is expected to top 20 billion yuan by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan (2005-2010), said Wen.

After we succeeded in building China's first very large crude oil carriers (or VLCC) for Iran, we committed to self-innovation and to challenging Korean and Japanese dominance, said Wen.

Dalian Shipbuilding introduced skilled technicians and set up a sophisticated work platform for employees, who help to reform ship design planning and management and strengthen the shipyard's ability in research and development.

Currently, the plant's top sellers are its 300,000 ton crude oil carrier, 110,000 ton refined oil carrier, 4250TEU container ship and its drilling platform.

According to a Bloomberg report, China overtook Japan as the world's second-biggest shipbuilding country, after South Korea, this year. Chinese shipyards are furthermore beginning to focus on more complex and pricier carriers in a bid to tap the high-end market.