Nanjing Tanker plans to spend up to RMB191.72m ($28.7m) on ten crude oil barges to renew its fleet serving refineries along China’s Yangtze River, Splash247 reported. The proposed vessels, each of 4,000 dwt, are intended for the owner’s river transport business and would serve petrochemical and refining customers along the waterway.
The Shanghai-listed company has approved the proposed investment through its wholly owned subsidiary, Nanjing Yangtze River Oil Transport Logistics. Hunan Jinhang Shipbuilding has been selected to build the barges. The project therefore centres on the group’s Yangtze oil logistics operation, rather than the larger tanker programme that Nanjing Tanker has also recently disclosed.
Each barge is to carry cargo oil pumps, allowing it to unload its own cargo. Splash247 linked that equipment choice to demand from petrochemical and refinery customers on the river. Self-unloading capability is a specified feature of the planned vessels, alongside their crude oil cargo role and 4,000 dwt size.
Construction is scheduled in batches through 2027, according to the company filing cited by Splash247. Although the board backed the investment unanimously, shareholders must still give their consent before it can proceed. The spending ceiling and construction timetable thus relate to a proposed fleet renewal project that has cleared the board but remains subject to a further approval step.
Nanjing Tanker is controlled by China Merchants Group and operates in domestic coastal, river and international oil transportation. Its fleet numbers more than 70 vessels and includes both crude and product tankers, placing the planned river barges within a broader oil shipping business.
The barge proposal is separate from Nanjing Tanker’s previously announced order programme at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. That investment covers four methanol-ready LR2 tankers, an expansion Splash247 had reported earlier. The two programmes concern distinct vessel types: crude barges for Yangtze service and the larger LR2 tankers.