28
2026
-
03
Safeguarding the “Marine Giant”! The World’s Leading Ultra-Large Floating Storage Facility, “Pearl of the North,” Safely Moors at Xinhong Heavy Industry
On March 27, in the waters off Shidao, Weihai, Shandong Province, a steel giant measuring nearly 400 meters in overall length and 59 meters in molded breadth safely moored at the dock of Xinhong Heavy Industry Shipyard, an investment enterprise of Xinfafa Holdings, under the comprehensive and meticulous escort provided by the Weihai Maritime Safety Administration. Following its arrival, the vessel will undergo a 16-month maintenance and renovation project. The vessel, named “ Pearl of the North The ultra-large offshore facility (FSO UOTE 1) is the largest in terms of dimensions to have berthed at ports along the Shandong coast in the past decade. Floating Oil Storage This equipment also signifies that Xinhong Heavy Industry’s ship repair and construction capabilities, as well as its project contracting capacity, have reached a new level.
According to reports, the “Pearl of the North” boasts a storage capacity of 340,000 cubic meters—equivalent to roughly 2.2 million barrels of crude oil—and is a pivotal large-scale facility in the global maritime transport and storage sector for energy resources. Its massive structural dimensions and complex maneuvering at sea pose extreme challenges to navigational conditions, maritime safety assurance, and emergency response capabilities.
To ensure the safe entry of this “maritime giant” into port, the Weihai Maritime Safety Administration has activated a high-standard support protocol.
Ship entering port Previous: The maritime authorities intervened in advance and convened a special coordination meeting on safety assurance, bringing together the shipowner, port authorities, pilotage services, and tugboat operators. In light of the vessel’s deep draft, challenging maneuverability, and high-risk profile, they jointly developed a detailed inbound-port plan. The plan takes full account of meteorological conditions, Tide window By taking into account channel conditions and the surrounding vessel traffic density, the entire operational process has been refined, and contingency plans for various emergency scenarios have been clearly defined, thereby eliminating safety hazards at the source.
During the inbound process: Relying on the Intelligent Maritime Supervision System, the CCTV video surveillance network, and drone aerial patrols, the maritime authorities have established an integrated “sea-land-air” monitoring system to conduct dynamic tracking, real-time monitoring, and precise command and control over the “Pearl of the North.” The Maritime Administration’s On-Site Supervision Center designates safe waters and establishes electronic fences, thereby implementing strict control over the navigation dynamics of vessels in the surrounding waters. This ensures a clear and safe navigation route for the giant vessel, enabling end-to-end monitoring with no blind spots and comprehensive safety assurance.
The successful berthing of the “Pearl of the North” represents a comprehensive test of our capability to provide refined, intelligent, and coordinated regulatory services for ultra-large offshore mobile facilities. It fully demonstrates the Weihai Maritime Safety Administration’s international professional standards and outstanding collaborative support capabilities in ensuring the safe operation of world-class, large-scale equipment, while also setting a new benchmark for local ports in accommodating and servicing high-end international shipping operations.
Moving forward, the Weihai Maritime Administration will continue to enhance its professional, intelligent, and internationally oriented regulatory and service capabilities, further optimizing safety management measures for ultra-large facilities and equipment as well as complex marine engineering projects. By providing a higher standard of maritime safety assurance, it will support the development of the Weihai International Maritime Comprehensive Service Base and the high-quality growth of the local marine economy. Xinhong Heavy Industry, in turn, will meticulously organize, carefully plan, and scientifically schedule all operations to ensure the timely and high-quality completion of the maintenance and renovation work within the project timeline.
Edited based on public reports from self-media.
Key words:
Other dynamics
Contact Us
Service Hotline:
86-631-7340019
Contact E-mail:
Contact Fax:
Contact Address:
559 Shuangshan East Road, Shidao, Rongcheng City
WeChat Public Number