The world's first bidirectional sailing self-unloading vessel delivered in Jiangsu.

On July 21, the world's first 41,800-ton bidirectional self-unloading vessel, independently developed and built by China, was delivered in Jiangsu. This vessel is the world's largest in terms of load capacity and the fastest in unloading speed among shallow-water transfer specialized self-unloading ships. It is also the first vessel of its tonnage globally to possess bidirectional navigation capabilities, marking a critical leap for China from "following" to "leading" in the design and construction of high-end self-unloading transfer ships.

The vessel has a total length of 215 meters, a width of 42 meters, a depth of 14.5 meters, a design draft of 7.5 meters, and a deadweight tonnage of 41,800 tons, with a cargo hold capacity of 29,000 cubic meters. Its core self-unloading system is equipped with two independent C-shaped lifting mechanisms, capable of synchronous operation with a total unloading speed of up to 12,000 tons per hour. The ship is equipped with two reversible longitudinal conveyor belts, supporting flexible unloading on one or both sides. The telescopic unloading arms at the bow and stern have a working radius that can be flexibly adjusted from 32.5 meters to 45.5 meters, enabling precise docking with ocean-going vessel cargo holds. Five ships of the same type can work collaboratively for round-trip operations, completing the transfer and loading of a 200,000-ton ocean-going bulk carrier within 24 hours, significantly reducing the waiting time at anchor for large vessels.

The vessel delivered this time is the first of five 41,800-ton self-unloading ships in the series. It will be deployed in the waters off Guinea in West Africa, providing solid support for stable production and transfer operations for local iron ore projects.