China has delivered its second domestically built large cruise ship, marking the completion of a 13-year national programme and another milestone for the country's cruise shipbuilding industry.

China's second domestically built large cruise ship, Adora Flora City, was delivered on 6 November by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).

The delivery marks the conclusion of China's 13-year large cruise ship innovation programme, which began in 2013 and resulted in the delivery of the country's first domestically built large cruise ship, Adora Magic City, in 2023.

Construction Time Cut by Eight Months

The construction of Adora Flora City began in August 2022. The vessel was floated in April 2025, left the dry dock in March 2026 and completed a 12-day sea trial in May.

Its construction took 41 months, compared with 49 months for its predecessor, representing a reduction of eight months and an improvement in overall construction efficiency of approximately 20%, according to Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding.

The improvement reflects the shipyard's experience gained from the first vessel, particularly in coordinating different construction areas and systems.

For the second ship, the yard adopted a more parallel construction approach, allowing multiple areas and systems to be built and commissioned simultaneously. It also expanded the use of three-dimensional modelling, digital project management, augmented reality (AR) applications and visualisation tools.

A Larger Vessel with More Domestic Equipment

Compared with Adora Magic City, the new cruise ship is 17.4 metres longer, with most of the additional space allocated to public areas and passenger facilities.

The vessel also features upgraded passenger amenities, intelligent service robots and a paperless onboard experience.

Its domestic equipment and materials content increased by approximately five percentage points compared with the first ship. Improvements included interior materials, balcony engineering packages and entertainment systems.

Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding has also developed an industrial network involving one main shipbuilder, approximately 100 major contractors and around 1,500 supporting suppliers.

Maiden Voyage Scheduled for 22 November

Following delivery, Adora Flora City will undergo two passenger trial voyages departing from Shanghai on 9 November and Guangzhou on 14 November.

The vessel is scheduled to begin its maiden commercial season on 22 November from Guangzhou's Nansha International Cruise Homeport. Its inaugural six-day, five-night itinerary will include calls at Hong Kong and Chan May in Vietnam, serving the city of Hue.

New Cruise Shipbuilding Capacity Planned

Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding is also planning a dedicated cruise ship assembly base with an annual capacity of 500,000 gross tonnes. Based on the size of Adora Flora City, the facility could potentially support the delivery of three to four similar-sized cruise ships annually.

The shipyard is in discussions with domestic and international cruise operators regarding potential newbuilding projects and has signed cooperation agreements or framework agreements with several parties.

The company expects further progress on new cruise ship orders in 2027.

The delivery of Adora Flora City completes the initial 13-year development programme, while providing China with a second domestically built large cruise ship and a broader industrial foundation for future cruise ship construction.