Yantai Raffles Shipyard

Quality focused

Yantai Raffles Shipyard Ltd (YRS) is a leading supplier of vessels to the offshore and marine sectors.

As one of the leaders in its field, the Group is committed to delivering superior long-term returns to its shareholders, while creating value for its customers through the on-time delivery of integrated quality solutions. In all its operations, the company aims to maintain a good working environment for all its employees, while following its mission of attaining excellent quality, competitive prices and client satisfaction.

The shipyard was established in 1994 under the vision of Brian Chang, the current deputy chairman and CEO of YRS, to create one of the leading offshore shipyards in the world. Mr Chang brought with him an overwhelming amount of experience in the industry, having previously been associated with companies such as Mobil, Jardine Offshore and Far East Shipyard in Singapore and Malaysia. The company has grown to become a recognised specialist in the fabrication of various marine and offshore projects. The 72-hectare shipyard includes stateof- the-art building facilities, employing the latest technologies to achieve operational efficiencies and lower running costs. Having recently celebrated its 15th anniversary, YRS remains committed to its vision of becoming the yard of choice for its clients.

Located in Yantai, Shandong Province, China, the yard constructs a variety of vessels, including Jack up drilling rigs, Semi-submersible rigs, FPSOs, pipelay vessels, and other prototype vessels. Situated at the junction of Bo Hai Bay and the Yellow Sea, the shipyard is in close proximity to Korea and Japan, an area that
accounts for 80 per cent of global shipbuilding capacity. Along with its unique geographical advantage, YRS employs different skill sets from across the world, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise.

In April 2008, YRS unveiled its world record breaking, award winning ‘TAISUN’ crane. As the world’s largest crane, standing at 122 metres tall, it broke the Guinness World Record by lifting 20,133 metric tonnes in front of an assembly of 600 guests. Since then the crane has gone on to win a number of lucrative accolades including the Spotlight on Technology award. Such a capability has given the shipyard a distinct advantage, revolutionising the way offshore vessels are constructed and meeting the needs of both YRS and external parties by providing turnkey assembly solutions. Its first occupation was in November last year, when it successfully completed a commercial lift of a COSL Pioneer deckbox, which had a total weight of 17,000 metric tonnes.

Remaining at the forefront of offshore and marine fabrication is essential for the company and is achieved by holding solid and frequent communications with a number of high profile clients. Attending annual exhibitions and conferences throughout the world, such as OTC in Houston, which is the largest Offshore Exhibition in the world, enables the company to present its products to potential clients and the international market. Most recently YRS has successfully delivered contracts for Sevan Marine – constructing the world’s first round FPSO (floating production storage and offloading), two FSOs (floating storage and offloading) for MODEC, a 38,000 tonne pipelay and heavy lift vessel for CNOOC, an accommodation barge for Marine Subsea and a yacht carrier vessel for Dockwise, to name but a few. With one of the best offshore construction plants in the industry and a philosophy of continuous improvement, YRS has not only the knowledge but the facilities to take on the widest range of projects ranging from semi-submersibles for COSL to a pipe lay vessel for Saipem.

In addition, the business boasts a management team committed to progress and evolution, strong financial and local support from government contacts, adaptability to meet customers’ specific needs and lower costing, leading to lower prices for the customer. Such invaluable attributes have led to YRS’ rapid expansion and profitability of operations, increasing its global recognition and putting China on the map in the offshore industry.

In 2010 YRS will be opening a new in-house research and development facility in Laishan. With 700 qualified engineers already dedicated to project development, this capability will make the organisation highly competitive in the industry. Further to this, external R&D is carried out at research centres for tank and model testing, while links are also maintained with famous Chinese universities. Highly innovative software packages such as CATIA, DELMA, SIMULA and ENOVIA aid the company in its goal of achieving engineering excellence.

In 2008 Yantai Raffles also made the strategic decision to build Haiyang Raffles, which is wholly owned by the company, located just two hours away from Yantai. Haiyang Raffles Shipyard currently stands at 400,000 square metres and by the time of completion at the end of 2009 will reach up to one million square metres. This extra capacity will allow Yantai Raffles to continue to take on bigger and bolder projects and further capture the imagination of everyone involved in the offshore and shipbuilding industry.

The future for Yantai Raffles Shipyard looks extremely bright. Over the coming years, YRS will actively seek new orders for a host of different clients, forming proactive partnerships for the future as well as satisfying current clients with continuous high standards and quality.

Yantai Raffles Shipyard

Services: Offshore and marine fabrication