With the opening of an international cruise liner terminal today the east China metropolis of Shanghai took a big leap forward with its desire to become a global shipping port.

The 130,000-square-meter Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, which is not yet quite complete, is located on the banks of the Huangpu River in the city's Hongkou district.

The terminal includes a 880-meter-long wharf which can berth three passenger liners of 70,000 to 80,000 tons at the same time. The wharf was designed with an annual throughput capacity of one million people.

The development is much more than just an ordinary wharf. It'll become a new area for cruise business with zones dedicated to entertainment, shopping and dining. .

The project also includes a building for departing and arriving passengers, the headquarters of the Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG), many other supporting facilities and a green open space of 90,000 square meters.

A 1,000-passenger cruise liner operated by Italian company Costa was the first vessel to dock at the new terminal and it'll become the ship's home port. The vessel, named Costa Allegra, sets off today on a fully-booked five day round trip to South Korea and Japan.

A grand ceremony was held yesterday evening to celebrate the ship's first journey on the Huangpu River.

Construction of the terminal started in January 2004. The whole project is scheduled to be completed in 2007 and be fully operational in 2008.

"We have drawn a great blueprint for the development of Shanghai's cruise tourism industry and the terminal will transform the northern bank of the Huangpu River into another commercial area similar to Lujiazui in Pudong," said Lu Haiku, president of SIPG, the project's main developer.

(China Daily July 3, 2006)