China is expected to build ships totaling more than 10 million dead weight tonnage (dwt) for the first time in its history, said an official in charge of the country's shipbuilding sector on Thursday.

Zhang Guangqin, vice-director of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (CSTIN), said the figure would represent an 18 percent share of the world's market, up 4 percentage points over 2004.

China has been the world's third biggest shipbuilding nation for the past consecutive years with its output growing by an annual average 26 percent, the official said at a press conference held by the Information Office of the State Council.

He said China is capable of designing and building any kinds of ships conforming to the international standards and can sail in any sea areas with the exception of a few kinds.

China is capable of building oil tankers that can carry up to 300,000 tons of crude oil, and super-large container ships, he said.

China's shipbuilding capacity exceeded Germany's for the first time in 1995, rising to the third place behind the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan.

(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2005)