New cruise ship to offer tour in South China Sea

A new cruise ship, named Nanhai Zhi Meng, will start its maiden voyage in late December from Sanya to the Yongle Islands, which are administered by China's southernmost city of Sansha in Hainan Province, the city's tourism bureau said Friday.

The cruise ship has finished a trial voyage and has seen hot ticket sales since booking opened in late November.

With a maximum capacity of 893 people, the ship is owned by the Nanhai Cruises Company. The trip will take four days, mainly visiting the islands of Yinyu, Quanfu and Yagong in the Xisha Islands.

The ship is scheduled to make the voyage four to six times each month.

The Xisha Islands are a cluster of islets, sandbanks and reefs southeast of Hainan Island and famous for their unusual scenery and ecosystem.

Sansha City, on Yongxing, one of the Xisha islands, was founded in July 2012. The city envisages tourism as its economic engine and administers three island groups -- Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha -- along with surrounding waters in the South China Sea.

Another cruise ship owned by the Hainan Strait Shipping Co. Ltd. has offered cruises along the route since it opened in April 2013. So far, 23,000 tourists have taken the tour. The new ship is expected to attract more tourists to Sansha.