The Ha Long Shipyard in northeastern Quang Ninh province has signed a contract to build a 54,000-tonne cargo ship for the forwarding company Vinashin Lines, a subsidiary of the Vinashin Group.

Designed by the Science and Technology Institute of the Shipbuilding Industry, the vessel will be the largest cargo ship (190m long and 32m wide) designed and built by Vietnamese experts and engineers so far.

The 29-million-US$ cargo ship will be equipped with a 9,480 horsepower engine and built under the supervision of DNV, a Norwegian registration agency.

The ship will be delivered to Vinashin Lines by late 2007.