China Secures Major Shipbuilding Contract for AHTS Vessel
In a significant development for China’s maritime industry, Chizhou Tianyu Shipbuilding has partnered with Hong Kong Word Engineering Company to construct a 64.8-meter anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel. This contract represents the first foreign trade order for the Guichi Shipbuilding Industrial Base in 2026, building on a history of successful collaborations between the two companies. Previously, in September 2025, they had signed a deal for two heavy-duty deck carriers, marking a record for Chizhou in export value and tonnage.
Details of the AHTS Vessel
The newly commissioned AHTS vessel will boast a maximum deadweight of 1,400 tonnes and will be equipped with DP2 dynamic positioning technology. It will also feature SMART notations, including SHM (Structural Health Monitoring), MHM (Machinery Health Monitoring), and INF (Information Management). These specifications make the vessel particularly well-suited for deep-sea oil exploration and shallow-water operations across various regions, including China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
Guichi Shipbuilding Industrial Base, which operates eight shipyards, is a leader in civilian shipbuilding in the Nanjing area. The company is known for its commitment to developing green intelligent vessels and marine engineering equipment. In 2025, Guichi achieved a remarkable milestone by securing 25 foreign trade vessel orders, totaling 623 million yuan (approximately $91 million). This reflects the company’s steady growth and increasing prominence in the global shipbuilding market.
Jiangsu Dajin Heavy Industry bags order for six AHTS vessels
