Chinese shipbuilding companies on Friday signed a contract in Shanghai with Canada's Seaspan Corporation, the world's largest independent container ship lessor, for the construction of six 13,600 TEU large container vessels.
The contract was signed by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd., China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd., and Seaspan Corporation. The contract is the largest shipbuilding order settled in RMB in China this year.
The 13,600 TEU large container vessel in the contract is a green and environmentally friendly container vessel developed and designed independently by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd.
With a total length of around 336 meters and a width of 51 meters, it can accommodate a maximum of 14,132 standard containers and offer 2,000 reefer container slots.
The order is the third batch of a total of 15 large container vessels that Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd has undertaken this year. It is the first time that the contract is settled in China's currency, the renminbi (RMB), and it is also the largest single shipbuilding order that is settled in RMB for container vessels in China this year, marking a significant step towards advancing the internationalization of RMB.
The construction of the vessels are scheduled to be completed and delivered between 2026 and 2028.
Chinese shipbuilding companies sign large contract with Canadian corporation
More than a month ahead of the Chinese New Year, restaurants across China have reported a booming demand for reunion dinners, with popular places already fully reserved.
The family reunion dinners on the eve of the Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, is the most important meal of the year for Chinese people. It has long been an essential part of celebrating the Chinese New Year. This year, the festival falls on Feb 17.
In Taiyuan, capital city of north China's Shanxi Province, one restaurant said all tables for the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner have been reserved.
"We now have 36 private rooms and 13 tables in the hall. The New Year's Eve dinner is fully booked. Many families started reserving as early as November 2025," said Han Huiyan, a restaurant manager.
To meet the demand, many restaurants start to offer takeaway banquet package that can be easily prepared at home, allowing families to enjoy a variety of festive dishes without dining out.
In Ningbo, a city in east China's Zhejiang Province, many popular restaurants said that they are approaching full reservation levels. To reduce peak demand, some restaurants now offer off-peak reunion dinners starting later at night.
"We now offer a 'second round' of New Year's Eve dinners, which start at 19:30. We also offer discount for such New Year's Eve dinners, a promotion of 20 percent off set menus," said Sun Lijuan, a restaurant manager.
In Lianyungang, a city in east China's Jiangsu Province, smaller private rooms of a local restaurant have been nearly sold out, and customized menus and home-delivery services have drawn strong interest.
"This year we have specially launched the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner delivery service. Bookings are very strong and customers really like this option," said Geng Maoran, a restaurant general manager.
Restaurants see surge in bookings for Chinese New Year's Eve dinners
