Rongsheng Heavy Industries, owner of China’s largest shipyard by order book, has dismissed concerns about the safety of a new breed of large vessels that it is building for Vale, the Brazilian mining company, and says it is confident that so-called Valemax iron ore carriers will again be allowed to dock in the country.
“The Berge Everest, which is a Valemax, managed to dock in Dalian without any problem last year and that is the reality,” said Sean Wang, chief financial officer at the privately owned shipbuilder. “Existing Chinese ports facilities are perfectly adequate for handling this class of vessels. But the government has to balance competing interests, especially Chinese shipowners with a lot of Capesize vessels who don’t want to see the Valemax being allowed to operate.”
The Chinese government decided a month after the Dalian visit by the Berge Everest to restrict the docking rights of many large-size vessels. While it did not bring up a December incident where a South Korean-built Valemax developed cracks in its hull on its maiden voyage, the ministry of transport mentioned “hidden dangers” of Very Large Carriers which go beyond standard design specifications.