China’s first home-grown cruise ship almost 90 per cent finished, and its cables could nearly span the nation’s width
- Nation’s first foray into the advanced manufacturing process of large cruise ships looks to be a milestone in China’s self-sufficiency drive
- Often called floating cities, cruise ships span multiple soccer pitches and are among the most difficult and intricate ships to make
China is aiming to deliver its first large cruise ship this year as the country continues to take critical steps towards boosting its self-reliance on advanced manufacturing.
The H1508 vessel, China’s first home-grown cruise ship, has been in the works since October 2019 and is expected to be afloat by May, according to state media reports.
Sea trials will start in July, and the ship will be named and delivered by the end of the year, according to its maker, Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, which held a news briefing on Friday, according to state media reports.
Construction on the cruise ship was 87 per cent complete, officials were quoted as saying.
Hong Kong welcomes return of first international cruise ship
Liu Jianbin had a chance to board the vessel last year. The CEO of Shangchuanba, a premium cruise service agency based in China, told the Post that the maiden voyage of the H1508 will herald a new era of Chinese cruise ships.
“The manufacturing of cruise ships is seen as the most dazzling pearl in the crown that is the ship-making industry,” Liu said.
The ship’s delivery is poised to represent a breakthrough in both China’s shipbuilding industry and its advanced-manufacturing efforts in general. Large cruise ships, often called floating cities, are among the most difficult and intricate ships to make, due to the required technologies and the complexity of the manufacturing process.
They also remain the only type of advanced, high-value-added ships that China has yet to produce.
01:14
Made in China: a domestically built cruise ship fires up its high-power generators
The world’s large cruise ships have been almost exclusively made by a few shipbuilders in Europe, while the ones currently operating in China are owned by foreign corporations such as Royal Caribbean International and Costa Cruises.
The shipbuilder said the length of the cable layout in the vessel spans 4,200km (2,610 miles). In comparison, the distance from China’s easternmost city of Fuyuan in Heilongjiang province to its westernmost city of Kashgar in Xinjiang is about 4,650km as the crow flies.
China’s migrants return earlier to major cities but find fewer jobs, less pay
The company also said that the cruise ship requires 20 times more man-hours to build than a “Capesize” shipping vessel – the largest class of bulk ship that can carry any type of cargo.
“The consensus among industry insiders is that large cruise ships are not just a ship, but a supreme masterpiece and comprehensive collection of modern industries,” China State Shipbuilding says on its website.
In August, Waigaoqiao started building China’s second large cruise ship, known as the H1509, which is expected to be delivered in 2025.
The second ship will be 371 metres long, or 17.4 metres longer than its predecessor. The H1509 will also have 2,144 guest rooms – 19 more than the H1508 – and a maximum navigation speed of 22.7 knots.
