The massive surge of Covid-19 cases in Shanghai city has hit China’s shipbuilding industry, including the construction of the third aircraft carrier scheduled for launch on April 23.

For over a fortnight, Shanghai — China’s business and industrial hub with over 26 million people — has been under strict lockdown as the city experienced rampaging spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Shanghai reported 3,590 confirmed locally transmitted Covid-19 cases and over 21,500 local asymptomatic carriers on Saturday, the city municipal health commission said on Sunday.

The lockdown has slowed China’s shipbuilding plans and may affect the launch of the country’s third aircraft carrier, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Sunday.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy was widely expected to launch the aircraft carrier around its 73rd anniversary on April 23. But the plan faces delay as the rampant pandemic in Shanghai has delayed the transport of some key components, the Post quoted a source as saying.

Construction of the Type 003 aircraft carrier has been underway at the Jiangnan Shipyard on Shanghai’s Changxing Island since 2017 and was expected to be ready for launch early this year.

Recent satellite images from Google Earth showed construction of the nearly 320-metre-long platform is almost complete. According to the photos, covers have been put over the vessel’s three catapults, indicating they are ready, but the two elevators to lift aircraft from the carrier’s hangars have not been fitted fully.

China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, a refit of the Soviet-era ship, which was commissioned in 2012 is so far the only Chinese aircraft carrier with initial operational capability or the basic level of combat readiness.

China launched its first indigenously built aircraft carrier Shandong in 2019. However, no official reason has been given for why Shandong has not reached the combat-readiness stage, the Post report said.