China’s demand on shipbuilding steel is expected to surpass 12 million tons in 2008, up 27.5% year-on-year, top 16 million tons in 2009, up 33.3% and over 18 million tons in 2010, according to a forecast by the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry (CANSI).
Chinese shipbuilding industry consumed a total of 9.41 million tons of shipbuilding steel for ship repair and building, block assembly and ocean engineering in 2007, 75% of which were used in the shipbuilding sector. Of the total consumption, flats were 5.91 million tons, sections were 680,000 tons and others were 520,000 tons compared to 4.64 million tons of flats, 560,000 tons of sections and 460,000 tons of others in 2006.
Three provinces and municipalities with shipbuilding steel consumption above one million tons last year were Shanghai (1.82 million tons), Jiangsu (1.75 million tons) and Liaoning (1.33 million tons). Zhejiang was also close to the one-million-ton mark with a consumption of 940,000 tons.
China will have a shipbuilding completion of up to 25 million dwt in 2008 and 40 million dwt in 2009. China’s consumption of steel in the shipbuilding sector is expected to be 9.3 million tons in 2008, 13.56 million tons in 2009 and 15.4 million tons in 2010.