On February 28, Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.(SWS) said that the construction plan of the second domestically built large cruise ship was officially determined.
As scheduled, the large cruise ship will be docked in mid-April 2024 to start continuous loading, have first floating in early May 2025, out of the dock by the end of March 2026, start sea trials in June 2026, and be delivered by the end of 2026.
At present, the detailed design drawings, production design modeling and model balancing work has been basically completed, entering the phase of the background model, DOP, galley and laundry room flue and other special balancing, as well as carrying out key areas of the model review stage. The basic solidification of the technical status of the whole ship is scheduled in May this year.
The second domestically cruise ship has been optimized in a series of ways on the basis of the first cruise ship of the same type. It has a gross tonnage of about 142,000 tons, an overall length of 341 meters, a beam of 37.2 meters, a design draft of 8.17 meters, a maximum draft of 8.4 meters, a maximum speed of 22.7 knots, and 2,144 staterooms. Compared with the first ship, it has an increase of 0.67 million tons in gross tonnage, an increase of 17.4 meters in overall length, and an increase of 19 staterooms.
Moreover, the second domestically cruise ship is equipped with 2 sets of desulphurization towers and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system in accordance with SOLAS 2020 bunker stability requirements and IMO Tier III and EEDI Phase II requirements. In addition, it is equipped with a huge 16-storey superstructure living and entertainment area, which can satisfy the passengers’ more abundant living and entertainment needs.
Due to the larger main scale of the second cruise ship, more construction material will be produced compared to the first one. According to SWS’s plan, the total construction time targeted for the second cruise ship will be reduced by 20% compared to the first large cruise ship. On February 26 this year, the outfitting work was officially commenced, which is a complex project covering the entire ship’s equipment, piping, electrical, iron and outfitting, air-conditioning and commissioning disciplines, and is the basis for ensuring the ship’s navigation and various operational and recreational functions.
It is worth noting that SWS is summarizing and refining the experience of breaking through the large cruise ship assembly and construction, management innovation and related processes under the premise of clarifying the goal of independent design and construction of large cruise ship projects, to form a unique cruise ship knowledge project in China.
