China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) (600150.SH) said it had completed the first phase of construction on Changxing Shipbuilding Base ahead of schedule, China Business News reported. Located on Shanghai’s Chongming island, it will be the country’s largest shipbuilding base when completed. The first phase covers 560 hectares, including 3.8 kilometers of coast line, encompasses 1.1 million square meters of floor space and has three assembly lines and four shipyards. The US$2.31 billion (RMB16 billion) first phase is capable of producing 4.5 million tons of ships a year, second only to South Korea’s Ulsan shipbuilding base. Its three assembly lines have so far received orders for 100 ships weighing 14 million tons to be delivered by 2011. An official with the CSSC told the newspaper that construction of the second phase was about to start in 2009 and become operational by 2012.