China tests world's largest cargo ship in polar waters

China has conducted tests of the Fan Zhou 8, a flat-deck cargo vessel with a capacity of 58,000 tons, capable of operating in polar waters.

Report informs via Chinese media that it has become the largest vessel of its kind in the world.

The Fan Zhou 8 previously departed from the Taizhou Zhonghang shipyard in Zhejiang Province and returned to dock on December 24 after "various professional trials" in waters east of Shanghai.

The vessel is noted to have high seaworthiness qualities and meets the requirements of the Polar Code. It is 256 meters long, 51 meters wide, has a range of 16,000 nautical miles, and a maximum speed of over 15 knots.

The ship can transport various types of cargo on its deck, including equipment for offshore oil field exploration and development, parts for wind and nuclear power plants, as well as steel structures or sections of large vessels.