Cruise ships to bolster high-end manufacturing

Homegrown vessels to create job opportunities, establish new supply chain and promote tech innovation in China

China has impressed the world with the construction of its high-speed railways and its first self-built large jetliner, and now the oceans are the next stage for high-end manufacturing as construction commences of the nation's first homegrown cruise ship, which is scheduled to be delivered in September 2023.

The 135,500-metric-ton Vista-class vessel will be built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co Ltd, a company controlled by the China State Shipbuilding Corp. As a complex mega system project, it is completely different from the vessels Chinese shipyards have built.