Zhanjiang Baosheng Investment Co is developing yacht-related businesses, including yacht making and yachting cruises, and hopes to boost the yacht industry in Zhanjiang.

The company delivered a 65-foot yacht to a customer on May 29 and will finish building an 80-foot craft by the end of this year and a 77-foot boat in June 2016.

Liu Peng, general manager of Baosheng Investment, said yacht building is an emerging industry in Zhanjiang and the coastal city has advantages in developing the sector.

Well-developed ports in the city, including the Zhanjiang Port, make it easy to transport yachts to many regions abroad, Liu said.

The Zhanjiang Port has the shortest distance of all ports on the Chinese mainland to Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania, Zhanjiang Port (Group) Co said. It has opened transport routes to more than 100 countries and regions.

Zhu Yingzheng, general manager of Xinlong Shipbuilding Co, in which Baosheng Investment is the largest shareholder, said the company aims to produce high-quality yachts with a focus on export.

He said the main equipment and materials used for the 65-foot yacht the company built came from noted international companies, which ensures both the stability of the yacht's systems and the safety of its passengers.

The yacht weighs 92 metric tons and its body is made of steel, with three separate watertight compartments. It can reach a speed of 10.3 knots, the equivalent of 19 km/h.

Zhu said Xinlong Shipbuilding is one of the few yacht makers in China that can build yachts of either steel or fiberglass.

The company plans to build about 10 yachts annually for the next few years, Zhu said.

Baosheng Investment also owns a yacht club that develops yacht cruises, rents and sells berths, and provides maintenance services to boat owners.

Liu said Zhanjiang has good prospects to develop ocean tourism, including yachting, as the city's bays are very beautiful and the coastlines are long.

The yacht club near the Zhanjiang Bay Bridge has reduced the charge of its sightseeing yacht cruises to draw more tourists and hopes to help promote yacht tourism in Zhanjiang, Zhu said.

songmengxing@chinadaily.com.cn