CSSC Delivers World's Largest Self-Unloading Ship for Rio Tinto

The China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), through its subsidiary CSSC Chengxi Shipyard Co, delivered the WONTANARA on July 21, 2026, in Jiangsu Province. Custom-built for the Rio Tinto Group, the 41,800-ton bidirectional sailing self-discharging ship is the first of five ordered to support the Simandou Iron Ore Project in Guinea, West Africa.

The vessel sets three world records as the largest deadweight shallow-water transshipment self-unloader, the fastest in its class with a discharge speed of 12,000 tons per hour, and the first of its tonnage class with bidirectional sailing capability. Designed as a marine shuttle, it will ferry high-grade iron ore between shallow-water terminals and deep-water oceangoing bulk carriers, eliminating the need for shore-based port cranes.

CSSC Chengxi Shipyard General Manager Zhang Xinlong stated that the ship can fully discharge its cargo at sea in less than 3.5 hours. This capability is intended to resolve bottlenecks in short-distance ore transit, thereby increasing shipment volumes and operational profitability for the Simandou project, a key element of the Belt and Road Initiative.