Domestic cruise ship passes sea trial

China's first domestically built large cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, has completed its first sea trial and returned to its home port of Shanghai, according to China State Shipbuilding Corp, the world's largest shipbuilder.

The sea trial started on July 17 when the massive ship set sail from Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, a CSSC subsidiary and the vessel's construction contractor. The vessel returned to the shipyard on Monday evening.

During the eight-day trial operation, engineers carried out more than 60 function tests, comprehensively verifying the capability and performance of the ship's power, propulsion, control and other systems, CSSC said in a news release on Tuesday, adding that engineers also checked whether the vessel's equipment is convenient and comfortable for passengers to use.

Next, engineers will continue to fine-tune the equipment on the ship and finish decorating its interior. The ship's second sea trial is scheduled to take place before October, the company said.

If everything goes according to plan, the "floating luxury hotel" will be delivered to its buyer around the end of this year, according to Chen Gang, general manager of Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding and chief designer of the cruise ship.

The Adora Magic City is 323.6 meters long, 37.2 meters wide and 72 meters tall, roughly the height of a 25-story residential building. It is powered by five diesel generators and driven by two electric thrusters.

The gigantic craft will have a cruising speed of 33 kilometers per hour and a maximum speed of about 42 km/h. There will be 16 stories of living, shopping and entertainment space, including restaurants, pubs, coffee bars, arts centers and amusement parks. Passengers will enjoy musical performances, art shows and a wide variety of food options.

The vessel will have 2,125 passenger rooms capable of accommodating 5,246 tourists, as well as nearly 700 rooms for the crew. A 5G network will cover the mammoth ship, designers said.

In November 2018, CSSC signed a cooperation agreement on the design and construction of two 135,500-metric-ton Vista-class cruise ships with Carnival Corp and Fincantieri.

The Adora Magic City started construction at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding in October 2019.Construction of its sister ship started in August 2022.