Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding will adhere to RINA's environmental and biosafe notations
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Ship classification provider RINA is to classify the largest-ever cruise ship to be built in China, according to a new agreement it has signed with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS).
The 140,000gt vessel, which will be around 341 metres long and have capacity for more than 6,500 people, will be built to meet the highest environmental protection standards ever applied in Chinese shipbuilding. It will comply with RINA’s additional Green Plus and High Voltage Shore Connection class notations, while the design and equipment will also adhere to the requirements set out in RINA’s Biosafe Ship notation to minimise the risk of onboard infection outbreaks.
“The Chinese shipbuilding industry has been the number one in the world for some time, but this has historically been focused on merchant and cargo vessels,” said Mario Moretti, senior director for marine in Asia at RINA. “We are very pleased to be working closely with SWS in building China’s largest-ever passenger ship. The agreement represents a milestone in Chinese shipbuilding as it expands into the passenger sector responding to the growth of seaborne tourism.”
The newbuild is scheduled for delivery in December 2025.
“The Chinese cruise ship industry is expanding rapidly, and the new vessel is being designed to respond to that growth as well as Chinese tastes,” said Wang Qi, chairman at SWS. “China’s burgeoning economy is providing increased demand for leisure activities encouraged by the Chinese government, while its large geographic area and population promise sustained demand and no shortage of potential routes.”