Why China Just Broke a Shipbuilding Monopoly That Lasted 30 Years

Why China Just Broke a Shipbuilding Monopoly That Lasted 30 Years For decades, if a cruise line wanted a giant ocean liner, it went to a handful of yards in Italy, France, Germany and Finland. Then a shipyard in Shanghai delivered one, and a second is about to follow. This video looks at how China's state shipbuilder CSSC got into the hardest business in shipbuilding. Adora Magic City, built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, was delivered in November 2023 as China's first domestically built large cruise ship. Clarksons Research said it ended the dominance of three European shipyards in large cruise ships. But the ship was built on Fincantieri's Vista-class design under a licence and technical services deal, and according to its chief designer only about 30% of its 110 suppliers were Chinese. The second ship, Adora Flora City, is due for delivery in November 2026 with 2,130 cabins. We look at why big cruise ships are so hard to build, why Japan's Mitsubishi lost heavily trying, and how much of this breakthrough is really Chinese.