BEIJING: The construction of China’s second large-scale cruise ship started in east China’s Shanghai on Monday, signaling that the country has basically mastered the key technologies for designing and constructing large cruise ships.
The ship is being built by the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). It also signifies that China will soon be able to mass-produce large cruise ships.
The ship will be 341 meters long and 37.2 meters wide, with a gross tonnage of about 142,000.
Gross tonnage is a measure of a ship’s overall internal volume. One gross ton is equal to 100 cubic feet of space. The world’s largest cruise ship so far, named Wonder of the Seas, has a gross tonnage of 238,860.
China’s new cruise ship will be able to travel at a maximum speed of 22.7 nautical miles per hour, which is about the average speed of a modern cruise ship worldwide.
It also features green designs, with two desulfurization towers and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems to meet the emission regulations of the International Maritime Organization.
China’s first domestically built large cruise ship is also currently being assembled in Shanghai and is expected to be delivered in 2023, according to Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.
The new ship will have 2,144 guest rooms, 19 more than its predecessor, and a 16-story building with various entertainment venues, such as performance centers, restaurants, bars, cafes, shopping malls, children’s centers and water parks, to meet its passengers’ various living and entertainment needs. The design and construction timeline for the second cruise ship is also six months shorter than its predecessor.
–The Daily Mail-CGTN news exchange item
