Dalian set to be key cruise liner port

The annual passenger throughput of the Dalian Port International Cruise Liner Center is expected to reach 200,000 in three years, a senior manager said on Wednesday.

Royal Caribbean International's Legend of the Seas cruise ship carrying about 2,000 tourists left Dalian for Sasebo and Kagoshima in Japan on Wednesday, meaning that Dalian is now a port of departure for international cruise liners.

"With the opening of the Dalian Port International Cruise Ship Center, tourists from Northeast China will take cruises from Dalian," said Zhang Tie, general manager of the passenger transport company Dalian Port Group.

Zhang said, after this trip, Legend of the Seas will embark on another three voyages from Dalian. And MSC Cruises' Lirica is scheduled to depart from Dalian for five trips in August.

Dalian Port Group started construction of the center in October.

Except for the newly completed berth with a capacity of 70,000 tons, another berth of the same size and two 150,000-ton berths are under construction.

According to Liu Wei, who is in charge of the construction, the berths will become operational by the end of 2017.

She said the terminal hall, which could guarantee the customs clearance of two 225,000-ton cruise liners at the same time, will be completed by 2020.

Dalian Port Group signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement last month with the local port authority, tourism administration and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

According to the agreement, they will jointly promote Dalian's cruise sector and build it into a cruise port in Northeast Asia.

Liu Bin, an economist with Dalian Maritime University, said many cities in China, including Guangzhou, Qingdao and Shanghai, are building cruise ports.

International cruise ship giants are working hard to enter the Chinese market.

"It is a good choice to cooperate with international giants. They have seasoned experience and rich resources," he said. "But the management and service quality need to be improved."

Dalian is one of China's first ports to accept visiting cruise ships. In the past decade, a dozen cruise ships visited Dalian annually.