China's first domestically made large cruise ship Adora Magic City is delivered in Shanghai on Nov 4, 2023. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Domestically made vessel pushes China closer to being shipbuilding powerhouse

The delivery of its first homemade cruise ship has made China the only country in the world to have mastered building an aircraft carrier, a large liquefied natural gas carrier and a large cruise ship, according to officials.

China has also become one of a few countries, including Italy, France, Germany and Finland, capable of both designing and building a large cruise ship, officials said.

China's first domestically made large cruise ship, Adora Magic City, was named and delivered to its operator in Shanghai on Saturday.

Zhang Yuzhuo, chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, called the naming and delivery of the ship a milestone in the nation's transformation into a shipbuilding power.

After inking the delivery documents with builder China State Shipbuilding Corporation Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co, CSSC Cruise Technology Development Co and its subsidiary, Adora Cruises, began preparatory work for the operation of the 135,500-gross-tonnage vessel.

Following the maritime tradition of a ship being named by a woman who has had a strong, positive impact on society, the vessel was officially named by Fan Jinshi, a scholar and the honorary president of the Dunhuang Academy, at a ceremony on Saturday.

The design and construction contract for Adora Magic City was inked on Nov 6, 2018, at the first China International Import Expo, according to Wen Gang, chairman of the CSSC.

"CSSC looked to take the delivery of the large cruise ship as an opportunity to build a modern cruise industry system and promote the high-quality development of the nation's cruise industry," Wen said.

The ship, which is 323.6 meters long and 37.2 meters wide, consists of 107 systems, 55,000 sets of equipment, 25 million components and parts, 4,750 kilometers of cables, 365 km of pipelines and 120 km of air pipes.

It can accommodate a maximum of 5,246 guests with its 2,125 guest rooms. Equipped with a living and entertainment area spanning 40,000 square meters, the vessel is a modern city on the sea.

The development of the vessel involved 361 suppliers and 1,105 enterprises, and is the result of the close collaboration of more than 5,000 engineers and technicians from more than 30 countries.

The Adora Magic City will make its maiden voyage from Shanghai on Jan 1 and set sail for popular destinations in Northeast Asia, said Guo Jia, business development director and spokesperson for Adora Cruises.

The ship will later travel on mid-to-long haul routes to surrounding countries in Southeast Asia. The company also plans to launch a special "Maritime Silk Road" route in the near future, Guo added.