China's first self-made expedition cruise ship delivered
A polar expedition cruise ship manufactured by China Merchants Industry Holdings Co Ltd was delivered in Haimen, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Friday.
The vessel, China's first self-made expedition cruise ship, is scheduled to soon conduct a 12-day maiden voyage to the Antarctic region.
It will be operated by Aurora Expeditions, an Australian operator which organizes Antarctic and Arctic cruises and other trips.
The ship has a total tonnage of 8,035 tons. It is 104.4 meters long and 18.4 meters wide, with a capacity of 254 people. The construction started in March last year at China Merchants Industry's Haimen base.
The vessel features entertainment, leisure, dining, expedition and water-sports facilities.
Construction of a new ship-manufacturing base for China Merchants Industry also started in Haimen on Friday. The base will be capable of producing two ships of up to 135,000 tons at the same time once completed. It is scheduled to begin operation in 2022.
Polar cruise tourism has gained popularity in China in recent years.
In 2008, less than 100 Chinese visited the South Pole, but this figure grew to 8,273 in 2017, according to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO).
Sixteen percent of all tourists visiting Antarctic between 2017 and 2018 were from China, ranking second after the United States, according to IAATO.
The association also forecasts that China will become the top-source country of Antarctic tourists by 2022.