Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important denial of responsibility is at the bottom of this article.
In the conditions of rapid development of shipbuilding in China, Wan Chun, Deputy Director of the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Development Institute under the China State Shipbuilding Group, has devoted more than ten years to work in the field of marine shipbuilding.
Environmentally friendly container ships with a capacity of 9000–24000 TEU, developed under his leadership, have gained recognition from international shipowners. Moreover, in the field of equipment for the LNG production chain, he achieved breakthroughs in a number of key technologies, including the design of sealing systems for B-type LNG tanks, improved design analysis of LNG tankers, and the design of lightweight hull structures.These achievements have made a significant contribution to independent developments and the improvement of high-tech equipment for the wounding and transportation of patients, including Chinese fifth-generation gas transporters with a volume of 174,000 cubic meters and ultra-large gas transporters with a volume of 271,000 cubic meters.
Wan Chun, Deputy Director of the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Development Institute under China State Shipbuilding Group, was awarded the title “Young Pioneer of the New Era 2026.” Photo: Wan Quan / “China” Journal
LNG carriers (LNG — English: liquefied natural gas carrier), full name — a transport vessel for transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG), are also called “marine supercoolers” because they transport chilled natural gas.
With 16 years of experience working with LPG tankers, 38-year-old Van Chung became a witness to how China overcame technological backwardness and achieved independence in this field of high-tech shipbuilding.
To design a ship, one must study it thoroughly
In 2010, Wan Chun graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) with a major in “Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering.” Many prospects were opening up before him, but he chose to join the company Hudong-Zhonghua. “My academic advisor at the time didn’t quite understand this,” but I wanted to engage in something practical.
The first three years, Wan Chun worked directly in production, going through the entire shipbuilding process from cutting the first steel plate to assembly, shipyard construction, launching the ship from the dock, commissioning at the berth, and sea trials. “A ship is a very complex structure, and if you don’t work with it in practice, you’ll never understand where the key points lie.” Thanks to this experience, in his future work on projects he learned to anticipate the real conditions of production and avoid theoretical mistakes.
At the beginning of 2014, Wan Chun was transferred to the Research and Development Institute of the shipbuilding company Hudong-Zhonghua, where he engaged in the development of LNG tankers. Initially, he was responsible for the safety analysis of the design: using finite element method calculations and simulation modeling, he checked the distribution of stresses in the ship’s hull during wave action, with the aim of preventing accidents such as the breakage of container ships at sea. Later, his scope of work gradually expanded to areas such as vibration and noise, cryogenic pipelines, as well as research on the impact of LNG at a temperature of minus 163 °C on ship equipment.
The technical experience accumulated over more than ten years has allowed Chinese developments in the field of LNG tankers to make a qualitative leap. Wan Chun deeply feels these changes. “Earlier, we learned from a colleague from South Korea. But now everything is the opposite: now they come to us for materials,” says Wan Chun.
Western production complex of the shipbuilding company Hudong-Zhonghua (part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation). Photo provided by Hudong-Zhonghua.
Three steps to breaking the monopoly
LNG tankers are called “the pearl in the crown of shipbuilding,” and the key technologies of the enclosure system were for a long time monopolized by the French company GTT. This is a French engineering company specializing in the enclosure system for liquefied natural gas. All shipyards in the world building tankers for transporting LNG with membrane tanks are obliged to use GTT’s technical solutions, pay huge patent fees, and also receive GTT’s approval for all materials and technological processes.
“GTT turned technology into an integrated system. Even with the slightest change in drawings, we had to go through an approval procedure, which took a lot of time. Previously, Invar steel was supplied by only one French company, and when we had many orders, they could not ensure deliveries, which directly affected the production cycle,” says Van Zhung.
To find a way out of this situation, Wan Chung’s team took three steps:
The first step was the promotion of replacing imported materials and equipment with domestic counterparts. In cooperation with enterprises such as Baowu Steel and universities, it was possible to master the technologies for the production of key materials, such as steel and Invar. Currently, domestic materials are already capable of satisfying a large part of production needs, which has not only reduced costs but also ensured the security of the supply chain.
The second step was the complete mastering of the “black box” — the key GTT technologies. Thanks to numerous experiments and calculations, it was possible to clarify the principles underlying each structural solution.
The third step was the development of a fully independent sealing system. In July 2024, the sealing system for B-type tanks was successfully applied on a 14,000 cubic meter capacity LNG tanker-refueler. “This means we won’t have to pay patent fees for this vessel.” Currently, this technology is also used in the fuel compartments of container carriers operating on LNG.
To reliably test the new technologies, the Hudong-Zhonghua company built the only land-based pilot platform in the country for testing cryogenic LNG systems, and Wan Chung holds the position of deputy director of this platform. “Shipowners do not immediately decide to install new equipment on the ship, so first we conduct land tests using real LNG as the working medium for several hundred hours to fully confirm reliability and dispel shipowners’ concerns.”This platform serves not only the Hudong-Zhonghua company vessels, but also functions as a testing site for domestic equipment across the entire industry.
The LNG tanker Greenergy Eagle, the world’s first large-tonnage tanker for the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) of the “Changsheng” fifth-generation series with a volume of 174,000 cubic meters, independently developed, designed, and built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd., part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited. Photo: Xue Xun / “China Magazine”
Do not forget about the dangers during prosperous times, strive for 2030
As of today, Hudong-Zhonghua company’s order portfolio for LNG tankers is scheduled through to 2031, with the level of production localization exceeding 80%. As a result of many years of development in the global LNG tanker market, a situation has formed in which the leading positions are shared between China and South Korea. Wang Zhong believes that currently China and South Korea are moving hand in hand in the construction of large-capacity LNG tankers, while in certain areas China has already pulled ahead.However, according to Van Chun, the feeling of crisis still remains, and it is caused not only by competition from industry colleagues, but also by the fact that the company has not yet achieved full independence in the field of key technologies.
Wan Chun said that the term of validity for GTT patents is indeed 20 years, and after expiration the technologies will become publicly available. However, this does not mean that GTT’s monopoly will be broken, and there are two reasons for this: first, currently GTT owns about 4000 active patents, meaning the company has preemptively secured rights for all possible technical solutions; second, the company constantly updates and modernizes its technologies.
Reservoir for liquefied gas (LPG) trucks under construction. Photo: Xu Yun / China Journal
It was for this reason that Wan Chung and his team firmly decided to independently develop a B-type sealing system. “We cannot always follow along, adjusting to someone else’s pace; we need to have our own technological system.” Speaking about the independently developed B-type tank, Wan Chung admits: “We still have room for further improvement, and the team continues to optimize technology and reduce the lag. To catch up with the GTT in a decade, which has accumulated more than fifty years of technological experience, we need to move step by step.”We have already made an important step in the development of our own sealing system, successfully tested and applied it on a real vessel.
According to Wan Zhung, by 2025 Chinese LNG transportation vessels will indeed become among the global leaders; we will continue to focus efforts on modernizing production capacities and updating technologies, achieving constant breakthroughs and striving for leadership in improving quality and expanding capacities, as well as technical innovations.
Regarding the future development of ship types, Van Chun spoke about three directions: increasing the size of ships — based on existing main types of ships with a volume of 174,000 cubic meters, universal ships with a volume of 200,000 cubic meters and specialized ships with a volume of 271,000 cubic meters will be developed, which will allow reducing specific transport costs; more environmentally friendly — development of technologies with zero carbon footprint, meeting the requirements of the International Maritime Organization for emission reduction; more intelligent — gradual introduction of unmanned navigation in the open sea.
Wan Chun said that the greatest feeling of satisfaction he experiences is when he sees a ship, in the design of which he participated, sailing at sea. “Writing a dissertation on the open sea is the mission of our generation of shipbuilders.”
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