China's second homegrown large cruise ship, Adora Flora City, was officially delivered in Shanghai on Friday, marking a key leap for China's large cruise ship program from a single-ship breakthrough to series construction.

Large cruise ships, aircraft carriers, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers are known as the three "crown jewels" of the shipbuilding industry, and serve as an important yardstick for measuring a country's comprehensive industrial manufacturing capability.

The first domestically built large cruise ship, Adora Magic City, marked a breakthrough from “nothing to something.” The second vessel, Adora Flora City, has now demonstrated the ability to move from “something to excellence.” These two Chinese-built large cruise ships are not simple replicas of each other. Adora Flora City is larger in scale, features more advanced intelligent technologies, and was constructed with significantly higher efficiency.

Chen Jianwei, deputy general manager of Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, the shipbuilder, said in a CCTV News report that the second ship required nearly 4 million fewer total man-hours than the first, with construction time cut by eight months, and the domestic content of interior outfitting materials has reached 80 percent.

China’s second domestically built large cruise ship is 341 meters long — larger than three standard football fields laid end to end. With 2,130 cabins, it can accommodate more than 5,200 passengers, equivalent in scale to six mid-sized five-star hotels on land.

The hull is 37.2 meters wide, more than the lateral width of a 12-story residential building. The broad hull greatly enhances the ship's stability, giving it stronger resistance to pitching and waves at sea — even in relatively rough seas, the ride remains smooth and comfortable.

With a gross tonnage of 141,900 tons, it adds 6,400 tons of displacement compared with the country’s first domestically built large cruise ship Adora Magic City — equivalent to carrying an extra medium-sized ocean-going freighter.

All cabins throughout the ship have undergone professional noise-reduction and vibration-damping testing. Under the ship's maximum operating conditions, indoor noise is strictly kept below 45 decibels — equivalent to the environment of a quiet study.

In addition, the ship features 28 restaurants and bars, an 800-seat grand theater, a 200-meter circular running track at sea, and more.

After delivery, the "Adora Flora City" will carry out trial voyages and various preparations ahead of its maiden voyage as planned. It is scheduled to arrive at Guangzhou Nansha International Cruise Home Port on November 12 and to launch its inaugural season from Guangzhou on November 22. The city Guangzhou is dubbed the “Flora City”.

Chen Gang, chairman of Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding said in the CCTV report that conceptual design work for the third domestically built large cruise ship has already commenced.

Source: Global Times