China-made large cruise ship completes maiden voyage

China's first domestically built large cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, completed its seven-day maiden voyage with over 3,000 passengers and returned to Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal in Shanghai yesterday.

Setting off on January 1, the Adora Magic City had traveled 1,119 nautical miles and stopped at ports on Jeju island in South Korea, as well as Nagasaki and Fukuoka in Japan, before sailing back to Wusongkou.

Operator CSSC Cruise Technology Development said: "This is a promising beginning for the development of the domestic large-scale cruise industry.

"In the future, the operating party will establish comprehensive operational capabilities and systems in areas such as marketing, product design, hotel management and maritime management."

The cruise ship, which is 323.6 meters long and weighs 135,500 tons, has 2,125 guest rooms, 22 restaurants and bars and can accommodate 5,246 people.

Tickets for the maiden voyage cost from 2,000 yuan (HK$2,188.52) to 100,000 yuan per person.

During the voyage, Dunhuang Academy offered informative sessions on the art of Dunhuang grottoes.

A passenger, Zhang Lu, said before the commercial voyage on New Year's Day: "I have been following the development of domestically-made large-scale cruise ships, and I immediately booked tickets for myself and my daughter. I hope that my child can experience the remarkable achievements of our country's manufacturing industry."

The delivery of the cruise ship marks a significant milestone as it not only enhances the international status of China's shipbuilding industry, but also shows its open attitude and strength in international cooperation, which is "a perfect example" of an engineering project in the runup to the 6th China International Import Expo, experts said.

Large cruise ships, most of which are built in European shipyards, are dubbed one of the "three pearls on the crown of shipbuilding," with the other two being aircraft carriers and large liquefied natural gas vessels. The fact that China is able to build aircraft carriers, large LNG carriers and cruise ships simultaneously is a major achievement, the experts added.

According to a report by the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, the cruise ship industry could contribute 550 billion yuan to the Chinese economy by 2035. About 15 percent of the sum would be generated by building new ships and associated maintenance.

In the future, the Adora Magic City will sail from China to Southeast Asian countries, providing a selection of short - to long-haul options. It will also introduce the Maritime Silk Road route.