China's third Type 075 amphibious assault ship was launched from the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai on January 29, 2021. Many military enthusiasts gathered to witness the launch, and were amazed with the second and third Type 075s now both moored by the Huangpu River bank for further outfitting work. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

Since its start at the beginning of the year, the construction of a new shipyard for a key Chinese warship builder has been going smoothly, and dock basin construction kicked off on Wednesday.

The new site is expected to allow China to build a range of warships - including amphibious assault ships, amphibious landing ships and frigates - faster, better and more efficiently, observers said on Thursday.

The construction of the dock basin of the second phase of the Changxing Shipbuilding Base Project under the China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) started on Changxing Island, Shanghai on Wednesday with a commencement ceremony, CSSC Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co announced on the day with a statement published on its WeChat account.

This event marked the start of a new phase in the construction of the shipbuilding base, the statement said.

Funded by and built for Hudong-Zhonghua, construction of the new shipyard started in January. Work has progressed smoothly with advanced technologies and optimal procedures, according to the statement.

Construction of the dockyards started in September, and the high-pressure jet grouting pile is 40 percent complete. The steel columns are in place at the cutting and processing factory at the joint workshop for hull construction, Hudong-Zhonghua revealed, noting that the company and all other participating parties will strive to get the dock basin finished on time.

When the project started in January, the company announced that the first stage of the shipyard construction, which covers an area of about 2.15 square kilometers out of the 4.32 square kilometers in the entire construction plan, is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. This includes a research and development building, a joint hull workshop, a curved section assembly workshop, a module center for outfitting, a painting workshop, an indoor dockyard, an outdoor dockyard, a dock basin and a dock for outfitting, enabling the production of six specialized ships a year.

The third Type 075 amphibious assault ship for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy was launched on January 29 at Hudong-Zhonghua's current shipyard, following the launch of the previous two in September 2019 and April 2020.

The company is also responsible for the building of made-for-export warships, including the Type 054A/P frigate for Pakistan and likely also the Type 071E amphibious landing ship for Thailand, according to media reports.

With the current situation in the Taiwan Straits and threats from foreign forces, the PLA Navy could use more large amphibious vessels and surface combat ships in order to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, a Beijing-based military expert told the Global Times on Thursday, requesting anonymity.

The new shipyard is expected to contribute to that goal, the expert said.