Hengli helps revitalize Northeast China

Eyeing rising demand from the global market, Hengli Heavy Industries is constructing more than 30 vessels at its shipyard in Changxing Island, Dalian, Liaoning province, this year.

Once it commences full production, the company expects to deliver 60 vessels per year.

"In the past 30 years, we have become world-class in fields such as textiles, chemical fibers and petrochemicals. Now, advancing into the global top ranks in shipbuilding and high-end equipment manufacturing is our new goal," said Chen Jianhua, chairman and president of Hengli Group Co Ltd.

Chen said Hengli Heavy Industries has signed 70 shipbuilding orders valued at more than $5 billion since it became fully operational in January 2023.

Headquartered in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, Hengli Group is a Fortune Global 500 company that focuses on the full production chain in oil refining, petrochemicals, polyester new materials and textiles.

The shipyard, formerly known as STX Dalian, was once the largest foreign-owned shipyard in China. STX Dalian was founded in 2006 but declared bankruptcy and liquidation in 2015.

In order to revitalize its assets, the local government in Dalian extended offers to Hengli Group several times and Chen finally decided to take up the challenge.

In 2022, Hengli Heavy Industries, a subsidiary of Hengli Group, was established and acquired the shipyard, aiming to develop a world-class green shipbuilding and high-end equipment manufacturing hub.

In April, its first ship, a 61,000 deadweight ton bulk carrier, was delivered more than 40 days ahead of its scheduled delivery date.

On Changxing Island, one of the seven major petrochemical industry bases in China, Hengli Group is building green petrochemical, fine chemical and high-end equipment manufacturing clusters, with a commitment to sustainability and innovation.

The journey began in 2010 when Hengli officially partnered with the Dalian municipal government, initiating the construction of a petrochemical industrial park in Dalian Changxing Island Economic and Technological Development Zone.

Currently, the park boasts five PTA production lines with an annual capacity of 12 million metric tons, making it the world's largest PTA production base.

Innovations in water resource management at Hengli's industrial park include groundbreaking embedded sewage treatment technology, enabling complete gray water reuse.

In 2017, the industrial park embarked on a 20 million ton-per-year refining and chemical integration project. From the project's inception, Chen emphasized the integration of emission control efforts.

In recent years, Hengli has expanded its footprint on Changxing Island.

"In the past 14 years, we have steadfastly implemented the revitalization strategy for Northeast China and have cumulatively invested 280 billion yuan ($38.6 billion) in Dalian," said Chen. "In the meantime, we have always put environmental protection at the very top."