China's shipping giant China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) said Monday that the world's first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) dual-fuel Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) named Yuan Rui Yang has been delivered and will be assigned to Yangpu Port in south China's island province of Hainan, taking the number of the port's registered ships for international voyages to 32.

Designed and built solely by China State Shipping Corporation (CSSC), the super-large ship is 333 meters long and 60 meters wide. It uses LNG as the main fuel and is also equipped with an LNG dual-fuel main engine, generator and boiler. In gas mode, the ship can reach a range of 12,000 nautical miles, equivalent to a round trip from China's Shanghai to United Arab Emirates' Dubai with only one LNG filling. In dual-fuel mode, the ship can sail up to 24,000 nautical miles. 

According to industrial experts, the use of clean energy in shipping can help reduce sulfur oxide emission by 99 percent and particulate matter by 98 percent, compared with current oil tankers.

Breakthrough in domestic corrosion resistant steel

During the construction process, CSSC conducted independent research on many engineering application challenges including cutting, welding, assembly and inspection of corrosion-resistant steel. The project team made a breakthrough in the application of domestic corrosion-resistant steel in China, forming a complete technological system of production and engineering application of marine corrosion-resistant steel.

This new application reduced the use of 20,000 liters of oil paint and 22,000 square meters of real ship construction coating area, decreasing environmental pollution and therefore bringing better ecological benefits.