Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding aims to double capacity and consolidate its strength in high-end shipbuilding during China's 15th Five-Year Plan, reports China Daily.

The Shanghai yard holds 57 LNG carrier orders, accounting for 21.89 per cent of global market share. Company chairman Chen Jianliang said orders in hand exceeded CNY150 billion (US$21.76 billion) by end-2025.

Revenue rose 20 per cent last year, while operating profit surged 380 per cent. The shipbuilder completed 13 LNG ships and delivered 11 in 2025. Mr Chen said the company will continue to focus on high-end shipbuilding, noting South Korea and Western Europe still dominate LNG and cruise ship segments.

China retained its position as the world's largest shipbuilding nation for the 16th consecutive year in 2025, completing 56.1 per cent of global output, securing 69 per cent of new orders and holding 66.8 per cent of vessel orders.

Hudong-Zhonghua has pioneered ultra large container vessels and LNG carriers. It built the first dual-powered containership of 23,000 TEU for CMA CGM in 2018. By 2025, Chinese yards held 80 per cent of global order volume for such vessels.

LNG carrier construction remains challenging. Hudong-Zhonghua took 38 months to build its first LNG ship in 2008, compared with a minimum of 16 months today. The yard has delivered 60 large LNG vessels to date, each capable of carrying 174,000 cubic metres of liquefied gas, enough to supply a city of 3-4 million.