Luxury cruise has often been referred to as “a floating city in the ocean”. Its origins can be traced back to the 1990s. “Voyager of the Seas”, the sizable luxury cruise of Royal Caribbean International, was the world’s largest cruise in the last century. With a weight of 138,000 gross tonnages, 311 meters in length, 38.6 meters in width and 15-storey high, and a capacity of over 3,000 passengers, the cruise offered a wide range of facilities including shopping arcade, ice-skating rink, golf course, theater, basketball court, wedding chapel, etc. Bear in mind the safe and smooth ride in the ocean, the enormous structure of the cruise must be engineered to accommodate daunting technical challenges. “Voyager of the Seas” had to support a skyscraper-like weight on its own and to withstand storm attack; plus its restraint of draught of 8 meters only (less than one-tenth of the ship’s height), the cruise had to lower its center of gravity to stabilize the hull.

 

Upon researches, cruise designers decided to use aluminium, instead of steel to reduce the weight on the upper half of the ship. The levels above the 11th floor of “Voyager of the Seas” were made of aluminum which helped reduce weight and lower the center of gravity, enhancing the resistance to corrosion.  The application of aluminum makes “Voyager of the Seas” become “the floating city in the ocean”, a legend of luxury cruise.

 

In fact, aluminum alloy has been widely used in the manufacturing of various kinds of vessels due to its properties of light weight, good performance in corrosion resistance, formability, weld ability and recyclability. In China, the applications of aluminum alloy in military vessels, cargo ships, yachts have become a trend in the shipbuilding industry. The first China self-built aluminum yacht “Tiger Shark” was unveiled and completed its maiden voyage at Olympic Sailing Center Qingdao about a month ago. The 734-tonnage “Tiger Shark” is 50 meters long, 10 meters width, 16 meters height, with endurance capacity up to 6,000 nautical miles. Currently, “Tiger Shark” represents the highest standard in yacht manufacturing in China in terms of size and technology. China Zhongwang also has the privilege to participate in its construction. We are glad to see the technology of aluminum alloy application in luxury yacht become more sophisticated, and witness the yacht manufacturing industry moving into an “over-50-meter-long” new generation.

 

New things bring new hopes and inspire people. It is like the “Mariner of the Seas”, the first vessel docked at the Kai Tak cruise terminal, brings new vision and memory to Hong Kong and its passengers. Hong Kongers living in this vibrant cosmopolitan are always blessed with experiencing new things every day.