China's first 20,000 TEU container vessel "Cosco Shipping Aries" undergoes a sea trial at the Nantong Port, Jan 16, 2018. [Photo/IC]

The shipbuilding industry in Nantong has made a significant breakthrough in transforming itself last year, according to the city’s maritime safety administration.

The city produced 64 ships in 2018, with 28 exported to other countries. The accumulated carrying capacity reached 2.77 million tons, representing a year-on-year growth of 8.91 percent.

The maritime administration has made great efforts last year to promote the industrial transformation and upgrading of the local shipbuilding and marine engineering sectors.

The Nantong-made ships mostly include large size cargo ships with advanced technologies, with several world-class vessels, such as China's first 20,000 TEU container vessel produced by Nantong Cosco KHI Ship Engineering and a 400,000-ton very large ore carrier by China Merchants Group, drawing attentions from around the world.