Beihai Shipbuilding christens two 310,000 dwt ammonia-ready VLCCs

Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry (BSIC), part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), has held a naming ceremony for two 319,000 dwt ammonia-ready very large crude oil carriers (VLCCs) set to join the fleet of Belgium’s CMB.TECH.

According to a social media post by the China Ship Design & Research Center (CSDC), which was responsible for the design of the VLCCs, the clean fuel-ready duo was christened on November 4, 2025 at BSIC’s yard. They were named Atrebates and Eburones.

The newbuildings—which will reportedly be managed by CMB.TECH’s oil tanker brand Euronav—belong to the company’s “Morning Star” ship series.

Per CSDC, the newbuilds—classed by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)—are to feature an overall length of 339.5 meters, a beam of 60 meters, and a draft of 22.5 meters. They are projected to run at a speed of 14.5 knots.

Owing to the fact that they will be handed over with the readiness to be converted to run on ammonia, an increasingly popular clean fuel, the tankers are expected to accomplish ‘significant’ reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, in line with international environmental standards.

To be precise, the VLCCs could emit zero sulfur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), thanks to using ammonia as fuel, while lowering nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by as much as 94%.

Concerning their design, officials from CSDC have explained that Atrebates and Eburones were conceptualized to have space reserved to fit two 6,000 cbm ammonia tanks each, with the possibility of retrofitting the ships within a month.

It is understood that the vessels will be compatible to be installed with ammonia engines as manufactured by the Swiss marine power company WinGD.

As informed, the latest additions to CMB.TECH’s roster are part of an order placed back in August 2023, when Euronav tapped Beihai Shipbuilding for the construction of the ships. At the time, it was revealed that this would be the Chinese vessel construction player’s inaugural move into the VLCC segment.

Moreover, in the past couple of years, Beihai and CMB.TECH signed agreements for the building of over 30 units, encompassing at least five very large crude oil tankers and as many as twenty-eight 210,000-ton bulkers.

In April this year, BSIC delivered one of the ships from the bulker series: a 300-meter-long ammonia-ready vessel that was reportedly the seventh unit to be handed over by Beihai Shipbuilding up until that time.

More recently, specifically in mid-October, BSIC floated out two new 210,000 dwt ammonia-powered bulk carriers (Hulls no. 45 and 54) from the dry dock and held a keel laying ceremony for a duo of 210,000 dwt ammonia-ready bulkers (Hulls no. 56 and 63) for CMB.TECH.