Japanese shipbuilder receives order from Chinese company

   Japan’s Tsuneishi Shipbuilding said its shipyard on China’s Xiushan Island, Tsuneishi Group (ZHOUSHAN) Shipbuilding, Inc., has  received orders for four 1,020-TEU container carriers from the Hong Kong-based subsidiary of Shanghai International Port (Group) Co., Ltd., a 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.
   The four ships 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.
   Tsuneishi said it developed the container ships 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.