Huaruilong, the world's third-largest semisubmersible ship, docks at a base in Nantong, Jiangsu province on Aug 28, 2022. [Photo/VCG]

Huaruilong, the world's third-largest semisubmersible ship, set sail from Ningde Port, Fujian province, on Sunday, en route to Guinea.

It is expected to arrive in the African country, which is involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, after a 45-day voyage.

"It is the largest batch of ship exports from Ningde Port in 2024 so far," said Lin Yuliang, vice-general manager of Fujian Harmony Smooth Shipbuilding Co Ltd.

"The 14 engineering-dedicated vessels, including two newly built 100-metric-ton floating cranes, accompanied by a 50-ton floating crane, seven tugboats, two flat-top barges and two self-propelled barges, were mainly developed and manufactured by local enterprises in Ningde. The vessels were loaded on Huaruilong in a fashion akin to piling up building blocks. They can better meet the construction needs of major infrastructure projects in countries participating in the BRI," Lin said.

"The transportation mode also features improved safety, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, effectively reducing delivery times and operational costs for local enterprises. It can help promote the continuous expansion of Ningde's ship export and shipbuilding industry's influence, as well as enhance the sector's reputation," he added.

Huaruilong was officially put into service on Sept 6, 2022, in Nantong, Jiangsu province.

With a carrying capacity of 80,000 tons, the vessel has a total length of 252 meters, a width of 60 meters and a height of 14.8 meters. It can achieve a maximum speed of 15 nautical miles (27.78 kilometers) per hour.

It is the first new type of semisubmersible salvage and engineering ship in Asia with a nonconventional forecastle.

It is mainly used for the emergency salvaging of large ships, as well as for the exploration, extraction and transportation of large-scale offshore equipment needed for marine oil and gas exploration. The event on Sunday marked the first loading operation of Huaruilong in waters near Ningde.

Shipbuilding and repair are traditionally competitive sectors in Fu'an, a county-level city in Ningde.

Fu'an is one of the three major shipbuilding and repair bases in Fujian and an important trading market for small and medium-sized vessels in China.

According to statistics from the Ningde Immigration Inspection Station, in 2023, shipbuilding enterprises in Fu'an completed the repair and export of more than 40 vessels, including marine engineering ships, flat-top barges and passenger ships.

Over half of these vessels were shipped to markets involved in the BRI, such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

To ensure the safety and security of the semisubmersible vessel's loading operations and shipping navigation work on Sunday, the maritime department in Ningde established a special team and organized a technical review and expert consultation meeting to formulate safety measures in a scientific fashion.

They conducted on-site surveys and scans of the maritime route, cleared the anchorage area of ships and obstacles, closely monitored meteorological information, issued navigation warnings and notified vessels passing through the waters to reduce speed and give way when appropriate.

During loading operations, they dispatched patrol boats and law enforcement personnel, and utilized unmanned aerial vehicles and 5G video technology for full-process supervision, command and vigilance.