The King Salman Global Maritime Industries Complex in Saudi Arabia. [Photo/WeChat account: qidongfabu]

Construction of the King Salman Global Maritime Industries Complex, a super shipyard in Saudi Arabia, reached a major milestone on Dec 13 as the world's largest and most advanced ship lift, built by Qidong Zhenhua Offshore Engineering, successfully completed installation and commissioning.

The super shipyard is a flagship project under Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 reform agenda. It will be the world's largest manufacturing, repair and maintenance base for ships and offshore engineering equipment, capable of handling a wide range of vessels and offshore platforms, including supertankers.

The newly installed ship lift measures 245 meters in length and 45.4 meters in width, covering an area of about 11,000 square meters, roughly the size of 26 standard basketball courts. With a maximum lifting capacity of 36,400 metric tons, equivalent to the weight of a light aircraft carrier, the lift sets new world records in both size and lifting capability. Integrating lifting, transfer and towing functions, the system features a highly complex structure and precision engineering.

During project execution, the Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries project team worked closely with the owner to overcome multiple challenges, including extreme heat, strong winds and complex geological conditions.

Once operational, the super ship elevator is expected to significantly improve repair capacity and dry-docking efficiency for large vessels in the Middle East, supporting Saudi Arabia's ambition to build a world-class shipping and logistics hub.