A FERRY port for sightseeing in the Shenzhen Bay area will be built at Shenzhen Talent Park in Nanshan District, according to a report by Shenzhen Economic Daily on Friday.

The port, which can accommodate 2,000-ton vessels, is expected to be put into use around Aug. 26, 2020, when the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone marks its 40th anniversary. China Merchants Bank Shekou Industrial Zone will build a 2,000-ton e-powered vessel and open routes from Shekou Cruise Homeport and the ferry port at Shenzhen Talent Park, the report said, quoting the city’s transport bureau.

The bureau has organized a team to do research on the site choice for the port and plans to have landing points at the under-planning Shenzhen Opera House, Futian Mangrove Ecological Park and the bank of Shenzhen River.

Shenzhen has operated the “Seeing Shenzhen from the Sea” program for two years. According to the planning, the vessels will depart from Shekou Cruise Homeport and enter the Shenzhen Bay area in the east by passing under Shenzhen Bay Bridge. The route will go along the coast linking Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters, the Houhai area, Talent Park and Mangrove Ecological Park. The tour is also an educational trip to teach travelers about environmental protection, Shenzhen’s achievements since reform and opening up, and modern aspects of Shenzhen.

Shenzhen is now trying to be a global central city for the marine economy and a demonstration city for cross-region tourism in China. The city has started work on dredging up the navigation way for vessels at Shenzhen Bay and is expediting the construction of ferry ports. In the initial stage, the sightseeing trips will cover Shenzhen Bay and Dongjiaotou, and later will be extended to Shangbu port and Airport Ferry Terminal.

Shenzhen has a 257-kilometer-long seashore. Shenzhen Bay Park is the city’s longest coastal park, running 13 kilometers from Futian Mangrove Ecological Park all the way to the Sea World in Shekou. It has dedicated lanes for bicyclists and joggers in large sections.

(Han Ximin)