China's first domestically made large cruise ship, Adora Magic City, set sail from China's Qingdao International Cruise Terminal on Sunday to South Korea and Japan with over 4,000 tourists boarded, marking their first appearance at a Chinese port outside its homeport in Shanghai.
The cruise, named after Shanghai's nickname, began its commercial operations in January 2024 with over a hundred voyages. On April 6 and 10, the ships will embark two five-day, four-night international cruises from Qingdao City in east China's Shandong Province to Jeju in South Korea and Fukuoka in Japan.
The Adora Cruises with two large ships, Magic City and Mediterranean, have served over 560,000 tourists from China and abroad. Its second domestically made cruise ship, the Adora Flora City, has completed the main hull assembly and is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2026. Similarly, the cruise ship is named after the nickname of south China's Guangzhou, "Flower City," where it plans to launch its international services.
China's first domestically made large cruise ship set sail from Qingdao to South Korea, Japan
A spokesperson for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said on Monday that the situation in waters near the Strait of Hormuz remains volatile, urging vessels in the area to take maximum caution.
"The situation continues to be volatile. Ships should take maximum caution and not take risks without security guarantees," the spokesperson said in a statement.
According to the information released on the IMO website, as of April 19, a total of 24 attacks on ships in the affected waters had been confirmed, resulting in the deaths of 10 seafarers.
The IMO, the United Nations specialized agency responsible for maritime safety and security, as well as the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships, has called for de-escalation, dialogue, and multilateral cooperation regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Monday that with the U.S. repeatedly violating ceasefire deals and posing threats to Iran’s ports and vessels, a unilateral return to normal shipping remains out of reach.
Also on Monday, the U.S. Central Command claimed in a social media post that the U.S. forces have directed 27 vessels to turn around or return to Iranian ports since its blockade on navigation through the Strait starting April 13.
However, according to a report released from Lloyd's List on Monday, at least 26 vessels involved in Iranian shipping had managed to break through the U.S. blockade.
IMO urges ships near Strait of Hormuz to be on maximum alert
