One of the last ships ever to be built at the illustrious Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) Liwan Factory, slid into the Pearl River on July 24.

Thjelvar is a 200-meter-long and 25-meter-wide roll-on/roll-off vessel which costs 1 billion yuan ($150 million), and is the last ship to be built at GSI's No 2 Slipway.

GSI Liwan Factory is scheduled to move to Longxue Island in Nansha district by the end of 2017. 

Thjelvar makes up the second order from Swedish shipping company Rederi AB Gotland. In the past 18 years GSI has delivered 10 vessels to the European shipping company.

Thjelvar, a roll-on/roll-off ship that costs 1 billion yuan ($150 million), slipped into the Pearl River on July 24 from GSI No 2 Slipway. [Photo/Southcn.com]

While in the global atmosphere of excess production capacity in the ship-building industry, more and more high-end vessels are being built in Guangzhou and delivered to the world.

"The orders in China's ship-building industry last year dropped 60 percent on a year-on-year basis, but GSI is packed with ship orders until 2019," said a spokesperson for GSI.  

Rederi AB Gotland has had a successful relationship with GSI Shipyard since 1999, when a contract was signed for the M/S Visby and M/S Gotland, which were delivered in 2003.

The design and construction of these ships had been monopolized by European countries in the past with China never having built such vessels before signing the contract. However, after more than four years' effort, the two ships were successfully delivered to Rederi AB Gotland, offering a pass for GSI and China's ship-building industry to enter the world market of roll-on/roll-off ships.

"The two ships have become an important means of commute for passengers travelling from mainland Sweden to Gotland and the building of the ships has filled many blanks in the history of China's ship-building industry," said Han Guangde, president of GSI, who delivered a speech at the ship-launching ceremony.

More than 1,000 people attended the launch on July 24, making it the greatest occasion for GSI for the past 10 years.

People set off fireworks to celebrate the launch of Thjelvar. [Photo/Southcn.com]

The last ship ever to be built at GSI Liwan Factory will be completed in October this year and the whole factory will be moved to Nansha district before 2018.

"Some slipways in GSI Liwan Factory will be preserved to build museums and serve as a platform for visitors to learn about the shipyard," said Zhou Xuhui. Zhou took No 2 slipway as an example, saying the 56-year-old slipway, in which many guided missile destroyers, salvage ships, and research vessels have been built, is a witness of the development history of the ship-building industry in South China.  

Thjelvar is the last vessel to be built at the No 2 Slipway of GSI Liwan Factory. [Photo/Southcn.com]