First Orders for Four New-model Container Carriers from Chinese State-owned Company Latest Model Features Improved Fuel Efficiency and Working Environment

FUKUYAMA, Japan, April 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Tsuneishi Group (ZHOUSHAN) Shipbuilding, Inc. (TZS), an Overseas Group company of the Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. (hereafter, Tsuneishi Shipbuilding) (Representative Director and President: Takao Kawamoto) has received orders for four 1020TEU type container carriers from the Hong Kong-based subsidiary of Shanghai International Port (Group) Co., Ltd. (SIPG), a major state-owned company in mainland China. SIPG is active in port operations such as cargo handling and logistics at the Shanghai Port, and this is the first time that Tsuneishi Shipbuilding and TZS have received orders for new ship construction from a Chinese state-owned company. This type of ship was developed by Tsuneishi Shipbuilding in 2011 with a view toward diversifying its product line. Two of the ships are scheduled for completion in 2016, while the other two in 2017.

The four ordered vessels feature the latest improvements in fuel efficiency, made in 2013 in compliance with new international regulations. Reductions in both fuel consumption and nitrogen compounds contained in gas emissions are achieved by applying an engine in which fuel injection is controlled electronically rather than by the conventional mechanical method. Fuel efficiency is further improved by a proprietary propeller design with that the main engine's output can be more efficiently converted to propulsive force. In addition, it features accommodation design in compliance with stricter regulations regarding on-board ship noise that were issued by the International Maritime Organization for chartered vessels contracted from July 2014, and there are also other improvements in the crew's working environment. As with previous models, the accommodation is at the stern end of the ship, entirely behind the on-deck container loading space, which helps to make cargo handling operations more efficient and less time-consuming.

These four newly ordered vessels will be operated by Shanghai Haihua Shipping Co., Ltd. (HASCO), a member of the SIPG Group. HASCO is a state-owned shipping company that handles regular container transport on shipping routes between China and Japan and between China and Southeast Asia. On April 11, representatives from both of these companies were in Japan for a contract signing ceremony held at Tsuneishi Shipbuilding's main shipyard in Numakuma-cho Fukuyama city, Hiroshima. After signing the contract, ship owner representative SIPG's Vice President Huang Xin and Hong Kong-based subsidiary's General Manager Gu Jianmin remarked "the high energy-saving performance of this ship model not only cuts operational costs for our maritime business, it is certain to contribute to environmental protection as well. In view of the TZS's latest shipbuilding equipment and processes and their quality control system, we feel that everyone is enthusiastic about building the vessels. And we are looking forward to their completion."

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Caption: At the contract signing ceremony on Friday April 11

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Caption: Photo of 1020TEU type container carrier (a Kambara Kisen vessel)

•  Main Features of 1020TEU type container carriers