Shanghai — China’s first domestically built cruise ship set sail on its maiden voyage from Shanghai on Monday. This marks the country’s growing capabilities in sophisticated construction as the country seeks self-sufficiency in key technologies. Adora Magic City departed in the late afternoon on her first commercial cruise, en route to South Korea and Japan.
This is a luxury ship with a mahjong lounge and a hot pot restaurant. ChinaThe expansion of the middle class and their desire to travel abroad.
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State media hailed the 16-storey megastructure as a “major milestone for the country’s shipbuilding industry” and a “crown jewel”.
Its construction was delayed due to COVID-19 pandemicaccording to Lloyd’s Register (LR), which provided maritime services to the ship.
It will be China’s first foray into a sector dominated by European shipbuilders. The country’s first domestically produced passenger plane, the C919, also debuted outside mainland China last month.
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These complex projects are key to Beijing’s decades-long ambition to compete with rivals in Europe and the United States and reduce China’s dependence on foreign technology.
Many of Adora Magic City’s components were provided by international suppliers.
But in the future, “China has an opportunity to build its own supply chain,” LR field project manager Marko Scopas said in an article on Lloyd’s website.
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He said Adra Magic City “marks the beginning of the country’s inevitable rapid development in cruise design and construction.”