China's second homegrown large cruise ship completes maiden sea trial

China's second domestically built large cruise ship, the Adora Flora City, returned to port in Shanghai on Wednesday after completing a 12-day maiden sea trial, marking a milestone in the country's push to mass-produce large cruise ships.

A team of 937 professionals from 12 countries completed 149 tests and verification tasks during the trial, assessing the ship's maneuverability, automation systems, safety and comfort, and emissions performance, according to the shipbuilder, China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).

Alessio Pinizzotto, project manager at Italian multinational company Registro Italiano Navale (RINA), said RINA had followed all major testing procedures for the Adora Flora City and described the vessel as "a very competitive ship" in the Asian market.

"All consumption and environmental parameters have been aligned, and, most importantly, so was safety," Pinizzotto said, adding that the ship had been built in a short period of time with advanced technology.

"This shows the shipyard has greater potential to grow and become competitive in the global cruise ship industry," Pinizzotto noted.

The vessel completed all required trial items in a single voyage, compared with two sea trials for China's first domestically built large cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, marking a further step forward in China's capabilities in large cruise ship construction.

Chen Gang, chief commander of the sea trial, said the trial had proceeded smoothly and laid a solid foundation for the ship to be delivered on schedule.

The successful trial was supported by a professional, international engineering management team, as well as systematic improvements in supply chain management and project organization, Chen noted.

The ship is scheduled for delivery on November 6 and will operate international routes from the Nansha International Cruise Home Port in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province.