A visitor takes photo of vessel models at the booth of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation at the 2019 China Marine Economy Expo in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Oct. 15, 2019. The expo, under the theme of "Sharing Blue Economy Opportunities, Building a Shared Future," opened here on Tuesday. It has attracted more than 450 companies and institutions to participate and is expected to present China's achievements in the marine economy and the latest progress in the global marine industry. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

During the third CIIE in Shanghai, the first domestically-built cruise ship made by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co. (SWS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC), was transferred Tuesday to the docks for its final assembly phase, Chinese news site thepaper.com reported.

Owing to their tricky construction, cruise ships are one of the only high-tech and high value-added products that the Chinese shipbuilding industry hasn't yet produced. The number of parts required is five times the number needed for a C919 large passenger aircraft, and 13 times that required for a Fuxing bullet train. 

Moving to the in-stock assembly phase represents a great leap for the Chinese shipbuilding industry on the path to sweeping up "The last jewels in the crown."

The first domestically-built cruise ship is a Vita-class ship that will enter the Lloyd's Register of Shipping (LR) and China Classification Society (CCS), and is owned by CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping Limited. The cruise ship is 323.6 meters long, 37.2 meters wide, has a maximum draft of 8.55 meters and a maximum speed of 22.6 nautical miles per hour. The 16-floor-structure and the special entertainment area make the ship's accommodation as luxury as a five-star hotel. 

The history of the cruise ship in fact dates back to the first CIIE at which CSSC signed a contract for the construction of 2+4 135,000 tonnage Vista-class cruise ships with Carnival Corporation & PLC, and Fincantieri in November 2018.