ZPMC has secured a major shipbuilding contract with Guangzhou Salvage Bureau for a new deepwater crane vessel designed for heavy pile-driving and rapid-response salvage operations, with delivery targeted before 30 June 2027.
The winning bid notice puts the contract value at about RMB 1.1488 billion (around $164 million). The vessel will be equipped with a 1,600-tonne slewing-around-pile crane and a 400-tonne full-rotation crane, supported by DP-2 dynamic positioning to improve station-keeping during complex lifts and installation work.
A central design feature is piling capability at substantial depth. ZPMC says the unit will operate with 142 m pile legs and deliver pile-driving capacity at 90 m water depth—paired with a maximum 1,600-tonne piling workload—positioning it as a top-tier fully rotating pile-driving crane vessel in China.
Although offshore wind support is included in the mission set, the primary tasking is emergency response and salvage in waters under China’s jurisdiction. The vessel is intended to support rapid mobilisation for marine casualties and to conduct salvage work in waters shallower than 90 m.
Operationally, the platform is designed to handle a broad range of heavy marine tasks: lifting equipment at salvage sites, full recovery of smaller wrecks, assistance with larger wrecks, cargo removal, including hazardous materials, oil offloading from tanks, and life-support capability for personnel working on the scene. The crane and deck arrangements also allow transportation and installation of offshore wind components—foundations, support towers, nacelles, and blades—plus nearshore lifting and platform maintenance support.
The contract was signed following a ceremony and project discussions held on 26 December (year not stated), according to ZPMC.
In parallel, ZPMC is also expanding its offshore engineering vessel orderbook. The company recently received an order from Far East Hold for a multi-purpose cable-laying vessel intended for offshore wind cable installation, subsea cable maintenance, and wind farm operations and maintenance activity. The cable-layer is described as having unlimited navigation, a concentric dual-output cable-laying system, a rotatable cable turntable, and DP2 capability.
