Domestic Enterprises Have a Variety of Ways in Cruise Equipment Supply

By Li Qin

On November 6， the first largescale domestic cruise ship design and construction contract was signed on the First China International Import Expo. In addition to the project participants， excited were a number of marine equipment enterprises. It is full of imagination what kind of development space and new opportunities will be brought to domestic marine equipment enterprises by Chinese shipbuilding enterprises entering the field of large cruise ship design and construction. The reporter learned that in recent years， some domestic marine equipment companies have carried out layout for cruise equipment supply， and conducted research and communication for domestic cruise projects in the runningup for possible related bidding.

Large cruise ships are called“mobile cities at sea" for their intricate design， diversified entertainment facilities and land-based layout. With its large marine equipment work amount， high value and rigorous requirements， it is no exaggeration to say that the high added value part of a large cruise ship is mainly embodied in the marine equipment parts，especially the inner parts， which account for 40%-60% of the total ship price.

The reporter learned that it was also on the First China International Import Expo that Rong Mei Cruise Technology Development (Shanghai) Co.， Ltd.， a subsidiary of CSSC Jiujiang Industrial Co.， Ltd， signed a series of cooperation agreements with R&M Group of Germany for the development of modular cabin for cruise ship. Xiao Kun， chairman of CSSC Jiujiang Industrial， said that Germany's R&M Group is a top supplier of luxury cruise ship interior design and project management. The company hopes to form a modular compartment unit system equipment supply capacity by cooperating with the group while developing and producing new compartment products，leading to the localization of cruise ship interior decoration.

Facing the new field of cruise ship equipment supply， those interested are not only enterprises affiliated to CSSC，which are fully and deeply involved in the large cruise ship design， construction and operation project， but also some private marine equipment enterprises that have been working in the fields of ship， materials and other fields for many years. For domestic marine equipment manufacturers，luxury ro-ro ship and large cruise equipment supply is an important and rare opportunity to enter the new business field and even transform and upgrade.

It is understood that there are five or six new construction and reconstruction projects of cruise ships in China， with certain equipment demand. If equipment supply of these projects can be partly undertaken by domestic enterprises， it will create conditions for their upgrading and development， and lay the foundation for their future equipment supply to large cruise ships. In turn， the development of domestic cruise ships will substantially promote the design and construction of all types of cruise ships in China.

Although the cruise equipment supply market looks promising， whether the domestic marine equipment companies can do it or not， especially for the large cruise equipment supply， is not clear in anyone's mind. For a long time， with the unique understanding and mastery of large cruise in art， function， technology，management， security and so on， European and American professional manufacturers have been in a monopoly position in the large cruise marine equipment market.Even shipbuilding powers， such as Japan and South Korea， which have a high rate of localization in other marine equipment areas， are hard on the heels of large cruise ship equipment supply.

So， what can domestic marine equipment enterprises do in the future large cruise ship equipment supply field?

If we want to gain something from the first large cruise ship in China， Chinese enterprises can consider the OEM production， which is quite common in Chinese marine equipment enterprises. These OEM products are not only supplied for domestic cruise ships， but also for foreign cruise ships. He believes that starting from OEM production and gradually accumulating experience is also a feasible way to “pay tuition fees for growth”. He said， in fact，China's land decoration enterprises have a strong capacity， if on board certification and on board installation experience make a breakthrough， it is not impossible to supply equipment to large cruise ships in future.

In fact， a number of domestic marine equipment enterprises have been in the cruise ship equipment layout. In recent years， CSSC No.9 Design and Research Institute Engineering Co.， Ltd. has made considerable gains in the design of luxury passenger ro/ro cabin interior decoration， the refurbishment and modification of luxury cruise ships，and so on. Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co.， Ltd.， a subsidiary of CSSC， signed a general contract for the master planning project management of cruise assembly construction in August this year.

Domestic cruise ship equipment，especially cruise ship interior decoration，already have a certain foundation.The implementation of design， construction and refurbishment projects of all kinds of domestic cruise ships will certainly lead to the great development of domestic cruise ship equipment supply. Although foreign enterprises have rich experience in design， technology and construction management， domestic enterprises have more advantages in production cost， localized service and design with Chinese characteristics. Whether on the way of joint venture or independent development， domestic marine equipment enterprises will make some achievements in the future cruise equipment supply.

A few days before the contract for the design and construction of the first large domestic cruise ship was signed，a message drew industry attention. On October 24， CCS， Shanghai University of Engineering and Technology and CSSC Jiai formally signed the Letter of Intent on Cooperation of Cruise Equipment Products Test and Approval and R&D Center Project， planning to set up a window for product testing and approval services in Baoshan District， Shanghai，gradually set up the process standard system of cruise equipment products，carry out new product research and development and trial production， and promote the localization development of cruise equipment industry. Shanghai Baoshan District is home to the Authentication Center for Cruise Equipment Products， which marks the establishment and perfection of China's standard and certification for cruise equipment industry chain.

At present， relying on the cruise construction project， China has established two local parks to develop cruise industry system. The first is the Shanghai CSSC International Cruise Industrial Park in Baoshan District，Shanghai， promoted by CSSC and the Fincantieri Group. Cruise equipment enterprises registered in the park will be included in the cruise equipment system of CSSC and Fincantieri. At the same time，commercial branches and R&D centers related to the development of cruise industry will be established one after another. The second is China Merchants Bureau Industry Group Co.， Ltd， who worked together with China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Holding Co.，Ltd. to build a cruise equipment industry park in Haimen City， Jiangsu Province.The industrial park includes modular compartment units， aluminum products，composite materials， glass products，furniture and furnishing and other supporting enterprises， as well as cruise manufacturing related R&D center， testing certification center， exhibition center，bonded warehouse， etc.

After years of preparation， China's shipbuilding industry began to truly enter the field of large cruise ship design and construction. In order to really occupy a position in the future large cruise construction market and promote the booming cruise tourism industry in China，it is the only way to make the cruise ship equipment locally available.

The large cruise market of Germany，Italy and other countries that can laugh at its few competitors is closely related to its powerful cruise equipment industry.In a sense， the complete， perfect and high level cruise equipment industry chain is the embodiment of the core competitiveness of cruise construction in these countries. Germany's R&M Group and Germany's Maier Shipyard， Italy's MI and Italy's Fincantieri Group， are both an integral part of its developed cruise construction industry. China's large cruise ship construction also needs such core competitiveness and such structure composition. Therefore， it is necessary to cultivate leading enterprises for cruise ship equipment， build State-owned brands for cruise ship equipment and form own cruise ship equipment industry chain for China to design and build large cruise ship successfully， to raise the level of cruise ship construction in China，and to sustainably develop the cruise shipbuilding industry in China.

Of course， China's cruise equipment is still in the primary stage， must experience the learning， accumulation，digestion and innovation process， and can not be accomplished overnight. In this process， China's cruise equipment enterprises should grasp their own advantages， capture the sally port，and find their own development space from the market highly monopolized by the developed countries in Europe and the United States. And interior decoration of the cruise ship should be the the sally port. Although Chinese enterprises are not as good as European and American enterprises in the design，process and engineering management of cruise ships， they have a high level and rich experience in land hotel interior decoration， and have obvious advantages in manpower costs. After a certain amount of accumulation， diversion can be easy， thus quickly providing equipment supply service for the cruise ship interior decoration， a large work amount and high-value market. As for domestic enterprises having introduced and learned foreign experience， and familiar with the domestic culture and consumption habits，they will be more able to integrate the old and new in the future cruise ship interior decoration design， manufacturing and installation.

The design and construction of domestic cruise ships and their equipment localization complement and promote each other. China should vigorously develop cruise equipment and promote the development of local cruise equipment and cruise construction level.