Ocean Odyssey, a new polar cruise liner built by the Haimen shipbuilding center of China Merchants Industry Holdings Co, is launched on Oct 23. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

A new polar cruise liner built by the Haimen shipbuilding center of China Merchants Industry Holdings Co was launched on Oct 23, entering the interior decoration and debugging stage, according to local media reports.

Called Ocean Odyssey, it is the fifth polar expedition cruise liner from a series of orders signed between the Chinese shipbuilder and Sunstone, the world's leading provider of expedition vessels.

Construction on the ship started on Sept 24, 2020 and has been progressing as scheduled, overcoming impacts caused by the resurgence of COVID-19, typhoons, and electricity shortages.

China Merchants Industry Holdings Co said that its capabilities have been steadily improving since the No 1 (Greg Mortimer), No 3 (Ocean Victory), and No 4 (Ocean Explorer) vessels in the series of orders have been delivered.