VESSEL REVIEW | Xianglong Dao – Large luxury Ro-Pax to operate in China’s home waters

China's COSCO Shipping has taken delivery of a new 43,000GT luxury Ro-Pax ferry from China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) subsidiary Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI).

The second ship in a series after Jilong Dao, Xianglong Dao ("Xianglong Island") has an LOA of 208 metres, a beam of 28.6 metres, a maximum speed of 23 knots, and capacity for 1,370 passengers and up to 2,800 lane metres of freight or 500 vehicles. The dimensions make both Jilong Dao and Xianglong Dao the largest passenger vessels ever to be acquired by COSCO Shipping.

Accommodation spaces include VIP rooms, staterooms with balconies, family staterooms with panoramic windows, a cinema, retail shops, a game room, a gym, bars, a 10-seat private entertainment room, and a semi-open-air restaurant that can seat up to 340 people. The open-air upper deck may also serve as a venue for conferences and other private events. Equipment in this area include large LED screens, tables with canopies, and sun-lounging chairs. An integrated intelligent passenger system is also incorporated to provide hotel-style intelligent services such as one-pass and one-code access to passenger cabins and the various other facilities available on board.

The ferry was designed by Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) in compliance to SOLAR Safe Return to Port guidelines. Little vibration and noise is felt in the passenger cabins while the vessel is underway, as all interior spaces have been furnished to satisfy the Level 2 standard of the IMO's Rules for Noise Levels on Ships.

The main engine drives a controllable-pitch propeller, which GSI opted to incorporate to provide the vessel with the right amount of propulsive power under a broad range of sailing conditions and thus keep emission levels as low as possible.

Loading and unloading of vehicles is done via bow and stern doors. Vehicles may transfer between decks with the aid of interior ramps and cargo lifts for greater efficiency.

Xianglong Dao is currently plying the Dalian-Yantai route in Bohai Bay alongside sister vessel Jilong Dao. Both ferries are being operated under the COSCO Shipping Passenger Transport brand.

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