The most sophisticated supertanker ever designed and built by a Chinese shipyard, Xin Pu Yang, is about to start its maiden voyage from Guangzhou later this month, media reports said.

The ship is believed to be the largest oil tanker in the world, three times the size of an aircraft carrier.

The maiden voyage marks a milestone that "the tonnage of China's oil tanks finally breaks through 300,000 tons", the China National Radio said.

Captain Feng Wanyuan said the tanker is equipped with the world's most advanced automatic navigation system, which enables it to sail 24 hours a day without manual operation.

The high efficiency of the tanker will safeguard oil security in China, experts said.

The vessel can sail at 30 km per hour even when it is fully loaded. That means it will only take 20 days for it to arrive at oil terminals in the Middle East from Guangzhou.

Also, the tanker is able to unload its 300,000 tons of oil within 24 hours.

Liu Yijun, an energy strategy specialist at China University of Petroleum, told China Daily that foreign tankers are shipping more than 80 percent of China's crude oil imports.

"For a country importing more than 50 percent of its crude oil, to develop its own shipment will make the oil industry cheaper and safer," he said.