Chinese shipyards built the world’s largest ship. It should become the new flagship of the freight fleet in China.
Foreign media sources reported that the ship “Guang Hua Kou” was successfully completed at Chinese shipyards, after which it was given to the customer. The customer was the ship owner, a large company COSCO. However, this vessel is still not the leader in size: for today, another ship is considered the largest ship and this semi-submersible vessel has deadweight of 98,000 tons as maximum. With regard to the other parameters, the dimensions of the deck reach 0.014 square kilometers, which is also a significant indicator, like the centerline of a ship. The vessel has been successfully operated for quite a long time, but not so long ago it became involved in a major international scandal.
This vessel can handle the transportation of goods with a total weight of up to 85,000 tons. Today, the main business of the ship is the participation in the work on the contract between COSCO and Shell, which is concluded as the framework agreement. The companies decided to carry out activities to develop oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel is capable of transporting various loads weighing up to 85,000 tons. At the moment, Xin Guang Hua is involved in the contract for the transportation of part of the drilling platform “Appomattox” from South Korea to the US (Texas). The platform is intended for the development of deposits in the Gulf of Mexico. The transportation contract for the platform is a part of the framework agreement between COSCO and Shell.
The scandal with the ship
The United States suggested that the UN Security Council extend the additional restrictions that Washington had adopted. The ships and companies to which they belong are accused of selling the oil, which they are loading, directly in the sea.
The ships on the list go under the Chinese flag, but it can be assumed that many of the ‘African’ ships are also of Chinese origin: they have the names Hua Fu, Hao Fan, Xin Guang Hua, etc. Not necessarily, these operations were sanctioned by the Chinese government: because of the blockade, North Koreans sell goods with a significant discount, which makes operations profitable for smugglers.