China’s first domestically built large cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, is ready to sail from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for the first time on an international journey on Thursday evening, marking a major milestone for the country’s cruise industry as the vessel expands its operations to southern China’s shores.
The 323.6-meter-long, 135,500-tonne cruise ship is scheduled to depart at around 19:00 from the Shekou cruise home port in Shenzhen, the tech hub in Guangdong, carrying nearly 4,600 passengers on a 5-day, 4-night journey to Vietnam.
It marks the Adora Magic City’s debut in the Greater Bay Area since commencing commercial operations in January 2024 with its global maiden voyage from Shanghai. The ship will operate from its home port in Shenzhen throughout the summer season, which will last through Sept 16. It will sail on a variety of international itineraries calling at ports in countries including Vietnam, South Korea, and Malaysia.
Upon its arrival in Shenzhen, the ship was welcomed by a traditional water cannon salute, the highest maritime honor, as it docked at the port for the first time.
Among the passengers were cruise enthusiasts, families with children on summer vacation, and international tourists.
“I’m in my 80s now, but I decided to come aboard for the cruise experience,” said a passenger surnamed Zhou.
“Now that we have a homegrown cruise ship, we can come aboard and experience it firsthand. So, we brought our kid along during the summer holiday to enjoy the experience,” said another passenger surnamed Lin.
To enhance passenger experience, Shenzhen port authorities have opened dedicated cruise inspection channels and implemented streamlined clearance procedures, enabling passengers to disembark quickly upon arrival.
“We have expanded dedicated cruise inspection channels and implemented streamlined clearance codes, ensuring that passengers can step off the ship the moment it docks and get cleared with maximum efficiency,” said Zhao Weidong, a border inspection officer in Shenzhen.
In the first half of the year, the Shekou cruise home port in Shenzhen handled 985,000 passenger trips, up 10.8 percent from the same period last year. With China’s first homegrown large cruise ship now entering the southern region, the Greater Bay Area is poised to offer global travelers a richer and more diverse selection of international cruise routes.
The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a major urban and economic cluster that encompasses nine mainland cities and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions in south China, with a total population of around 86 million.
China’s homegrown cruise ship Adora Magic City ready to sail from Greater Bay Area for 1st time
The STAR Composite Index, which reflects the performance of stocks on China’s sci-tech innovation board, closed 0.75 percent lower at 2,004.58 points on Thursday.
The STAR 50 Index, which tracks the 50 largest stocks listed on the board that also meet certain liquidity requirements, closed 1.11 percent lower at 1,717.75 points.
The sci-tech innovation board, commonly known as the STAR Market, was inaugurated in June 2019 at Shanghai Stock Exchange. It is designed to support companies in the high-tech and strategic emerging sectors.
China’s STAR Composite Index closes lower Thursday
