Dalian Shipping launched with local government backing and Hengli support

The new company combines public sector backing from municipal and provincial authorities with Hengli’s deep shipbuilding scale and orderbook momentum.

Dalian Shipping Co will initially target segments aligned with Hengli’s production strengths, creating an industrial loop in which newly built tonnage can be absorbed rapidly into owner fleets.

For Hengli, whose record order intake has made it among the world’s busiest yards, an affiliated shipping company is a path now well trodden among Chinese shipyards. For Dalian, the emergence of a major shipowner is a fillip for a city that saw its fortunes nosedive for more than a decade on Xi Jinping’s presidential accession, the city seen as a power base to a rival faction.      Hengli Heavy Industry has been a regular fixture among Splash headlines for the last few years, the northeastern Chinese yard amassing vast amounts of orders from blue chip owners since it was resuscitated by Chen Jianhua in the middle of 2022. The yard recorded an unheard of order every three days throughout 2025, with these strong business lines continuing into 2026. 

VesselsValue data now shows that Hengli has become the largest shipyard in China by order volume.