SHANGHAI-based Jiangnan Changxing Shipyard, a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corp, has started construction of its first ship, which is the largest tanker in the city's ship-building industry.

Construction on the 297,000 dead-weight-ton very large crude carrier started on Friday, which signals the Changxing ship builder is fully operational, the ship yard announced yesterday. The tanker, which is 333 meters long, 60 meters wide and 29.7 meters deep, is China's first VLCC with its own intellectual property right. The ship owner is CSC Nanjing Tanker Corp, China's leading crude carrier and a subsidiary of the China Changjiang National Shipping (Group) Corp. CSC Nanjing has ordered four 297,000 dead-weight-ton VLCCs at Changxing shipyard to expand its fleet.