A PORT for cruise ships in Taizi Bay in Shekou, Nanshan District, will be put into service in November this year. It will be the only cruise port in China capable of accommodating 220,000-ton cruise liners, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported yesterday.

    According to the China Merchants Shekou Holdings Co., the Taizi Bay Cruise Center is expected to start operation in November this year, when the first cruise liner will dock in the port. The port will be able to handle the world’s largest cruise ships.

    The port, covering an area of 42,614 square meters, has a 12-story complex with 136,650 square meters of floor space. The cruise center, as the main building in the port area, was designed by architect Denis Laming.

    The design is meant to blend in with the environment, according to the Daily report.

    Apart from being a port for cruise liners, the cruise center will also have office areas, viewing platforms and traffic links, connecting waterway transport with the urban transport system in Shenzhen.

    Yang Tianping, vice chairman of the China Merchants Shekou Holdings Co., said Shenzhen has a natural advantage in the cruise industry because the city’s ports are usable throughout the year. According to a recent report released by McKinsey & Co., a U.S.-based management consulting firm, Shenzhen’s cruise industry will contribute up to 2 percent to the city’s GDP in the future.

    The China Merchants Shekou Holdings Co. signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Carnival Cruise Line company in January last year to co-develop the port in Taizi Bay. The U.S.-based cruise company, founded in 1971, is one of the world’s leading cruise lines with 10 famous cruise brands.

    According to the project’s outline, the port is expected be on par with Hong Kong Disneyland as the two driving powers of tourism in the area. (Zhang Yang)