GSI taps bridge builder to ease ship block bottleneck

Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) has turned to one of China’s oldest bridge builders for outsourced hull block construction, joining a growing number of shipyards tapping manufacturers outside the traditional maritime supply chain to keep pace with swelling orderbooks.

The CSSC-controlled yard has signed a framework agreement with China Railway Shanhaiguan Bridge Group, bringing the heavy-steel … Menu Greater China Shipyards GSI taps bridge builder to ease ship block bottleneck Adis Ajdin October 16, 2026 0 268 2 minutes read GSI GSI Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) has turned to one of China’s oldest bridge builders for outsourced hull block construction, joining a growing number of shipyards tapping manufacturers outside the traditional maritime supply chain to keep pace with swelling orderbooks.

The CSSC-controlled yard has signed a framework agreement with China Railway Shanhaiguan Bridge Group, bringing the heavy-steel fabricator into its shipbuilding operations.

GSI said its expanding orderbook and increasingly complex vessel mix would drive up demand for hull blocks over the coming years, prompting the move to bring in additional manufacturing capacity.

Shanhaiguan, founded in 1894, specialises in bridge steel structures and railway equipment and operates six production bases across China.

Under the agreement, it will allocate fabrication resources to ship blocks and take responsibility for production quality, safety and delivery schedules.

Neither the contract value nor the volume of work has been disclosed.

The agreement comes with GSI’s production schedule already stretching towards the end of the decade.

The Guangzhou-based builder disclosed earlier this year that its contracted business was approaching RMB100bn ($14bn), with overseas orders accounting for more than 95% and construction slots extending into 2030.

Its most recent intake includes 10 MR tankers ordered by Greek owner Evangelos Pistiolis’ Central Group, four additional MR vessels for Advantage Tankers and more LNG dual-fuel car carriers for MSC-controlled Global Car Carriers.

GSI is also expanding its physical footprint.

In May, it signed a joint venture agreement with Guangdong Port and Shipping Group to develop the 360,000 sq m Xiaohudao shipbuilding base in Guangzhou.

A separate project launched in September will see a new facility built at Longxue North, with GSI lined up to operate the yard once completed in 2029.