Cruise ship project gets underway

Country makes major stride forward in three-way deal to build big vessels

China started a project on Tuesday to build its first large, domestically made cruise ship, a major stride in the nation's shipbuilding capabilities.

A cooperation agreement on the design and construction of two 135,500-metric-ton Vista-class cruise ships was signed by China State Shipbuilding Corp, Carnival Corp and Fincantieri on Tuesday in Shanghai during the China International Import Expo, according to a statement by CSSC, a State-owned conglomerate.