China Starts Building First Luxury Cruise Ship
Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co. China has begun construction on its first large luxury cruise liner, which is included in a package of projects aimed at boosting the tourism and shipping industries of a coastal city whose ports are primarily used to handle manufactured goods for export, reports 'What's On Xiamen'. The Southeast China International Shipping Center package includes 10 projects led by the construction of a 100,000-ton luxury cruise liner, a cruise terminal and a shipping business center in the city of Xiamen, local officials said. The combined investment tops 16.73 billion yuan ($2.63 billion), they added. The design and construction of the luxury cruise liner alone is estimated to cost 3.1 billion yuan.
China Plans First Cruise Ship, Develops Terminal
Xiamen is now planning to build China's first self-built luxury cruise ship, and name it China Xiamen, according to the Xiamen Daily. The displacement of this cruise ship will be 100,000 tons, and it will carry over 2000 passengers on international trips. Meanwhile, Xiamen is speeding up the preparatory works for transforming Dongdu Port into an international cruise homeport and building a Southeast International Shipping Center. Shan-Hai-Shu Group and Xiamen International Cruise Co., Ltd. also announce operation of Legend of the Seas, chartered from Royal Caribbean International, which has made Xiamen its homeport since last year, for cruises to Okinawa, Kagoshima, Beppu, Jeju Island and other Pacific destinations.
