China’s giant shipbuilder CSSC unveils plans for cruise, deep-sea, nuclear-powered vessels

December 2, 2025 3oliver

China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC), the world’s largest shipbuilding conglomerate controlling one-third of the global market, has pledged to build more cruise ships, deep-ocean drilling ships and nuclear-powered vessels as part of efforts to diversify its portfolio, according to a senior executive.

Assistant president Ma Yunxiang said on Monday the company’s growing strength in building advanced vessels was reflected in the construction of Adora Flora City, mainland China’s second self-built cruise ship, and Mengxiang, the country’s first indigenous deep-sea drilling vessel.

“We believe that a powerful global shipyard is able to build not only [conventional] merchant ships,” Ma added. “CSSC will deliver the Adora Flora City sometime next year to show our improved technique in building large cruise ships.”

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Ma made the remarks ahead of Marintec China, the world’s largest maritime conference and exhibition, which will be held in Shanghai from Tuesday to Friday.

The Adora Magic City required 20 times more worker hours to build than a Capesize bulk carrier, according to CSSC. Photo: Getty alt=The Adora Magic City required 20 times more worker hours to build than a Capesize bulk carrier, according to CSSC. Photo: Getty>

During the event, CSSC would highlight its push to improve its capabilities in building more advanced, greener and smarter ships that could withstand various conditions and extreme weather, Ma said.

China now had the capacity to build about 65 million deadweight tonnes of large vessels annually, with its shipyards expected to hold a combined 65 per cent share of the global shipbuilding market this year, according to Gong Kangkang, head of the international organising committee for Marintec.

CSSC has been striving to move up the value chain over the past decade, developing cruise ships and specialised vessels in line with Beijing’s ambition to transform the country into a shipbuilding powerhouse.

Shipbuilding is one of 10 core technologies included in Beijing’s “Made in China 2025” industrial strategy, which aims to help the country catch up with global leaders in key industrial sectors, including robotics, semiconductor chips and new-energy vehicles.

The industry has also been a focus of US President Donald Trump, who has proposed investing tens of billions of dollars to revitalise US shipyards in a bid to challenge China’s dominance.

Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, a unit of CSSC, delivered the mainland’s first self-built cruise ship, Adora Magic City, in 2023 after four years of construction. Waigaoqiao said the 323-metre-long Adora Magic City required 20 times more worker hours to build than a so-called capesize bulk carrier – the largest class of cargo vessel.

Ma said the second cruise vessel, Adora Flora City, would reflect CSSC’s improved manufacturing technique.

CSSC is also establishing a local supply chain as it pursues orders for more giant pleasure vessels. In 2023, only 40 per cent of the parts used in Adora Magic City came from Chinese companies, Zhou Xi, deputy general manager of Waigaoqiao, told the Post at the time.

Deep-ocean drilling ship Mengxiang, which means “Dream” in Chinese, was delivered in late 2024. The vessel is capable of navigating against extreme wind conditions and could drill as deep as 11,000 metres.

Ma said CSSC’s technologies to build nuclear-powered container ships would also be exhibited at Marintec. The event, with a record floor space of 110,000 square metres, is expected to attract an unprecedented 2,200 exhibitors.

Global shippers’ confidence in Chinese shipyards had been on the rise after the industry enhanced its development and building capabilities, Ma said.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.