China's second domestically built large cruise ship, Adora Flora City, was delivered in Shanghai on Friday, marking the successful completion of a major national engineering project after 13 years of research and development and eight years of shipbuilding.

The project, which involved the construction of two domestically built cruise ships, Adora Flora City and Adora Magic City — the nation's first domestically built cruise ship delivered on Nov 4, 2023 — represents a historic leap for China's shipbuilding industry toward series production and large-scale development, said senior executives.

"Regarded as a crown jewel of the shipbuilding industry, building large cruise ships is an iconic project to test a country's ability in high-end equipment manufacturing, complex system integration and industry chain collaboration," said Xu Peng, chairman of China State Shipbuilding Corp, during the delivery ceremony held at its builder, Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co of CSSC, on Friday.

According to Xu, the vessel's construction time was shortened by eight months compared with Adora Magic City, while its overall efficiency improved by more than 20 percent.

"This is not a simple duplication, but a comprehensive improvement in technology management, the supply chain, and talent development, showing that China's large cruise ship research and development has entered a new phase characterized by series production and large-scale development," Xu added.

As one of the most complex gigantic engineering undertakings in the global industrial sector, the construction of large cruise ships involves tens of millions of components and parts, thousands of kilometers of cables, and over a thousand sets of systems and equipment. It is a testament to a country's high-end manufacturing capabilities, complex engineering integration capabilities and coordination across its industrial chain.

The ship, with a 141,900 gross tonnage, is 341 meters long, 17.4 meters longer than Adora Magic City. It will have 2,130 cabins and can accommodate up to 5,232 guests.

Compared with Adora Magic City, Adora Flora City has undergone comprehensive upgrades in spatial design, intelligent technology and the cruise experience.

"Thanks to the innovative craftsmanship of the CSSC and feedback from tourists gathered by China Tourism Group, Adora Flora City is more elegant, more technology-savvy, and incorporated with more Chinese design concepts," said Fan Yunjun, general manager of CTG.

According to Fan, the vessel is scheduled to make its maiden voyage on Nov 22 from Guangzhou in Guangdong province, with the aim of offering passengers a new cultural landmark at sea.