The two new 14,000-ton direct river-to-sea ships were customized by Nanyang and are the first in the country to have been commissioned and tested. They are expected to carry cargo on Aug 10 for the first time.

The two new ships are 128 meters long, 22.6 meters wide, and nine meters deep. They have a dual-engine and dual-rudder structure, and are characterized by shallow draft and easy operation.

Compared with the usual type of sea-going vessel, the load capacity is increased by about eight percent, and the energy consumption is reduced by about 10 percent. Each ship has a crew of eight people and will be engaged in transportation from Ningbo Zhoushan Port along a specific Yangtze River route.