Detained Chinese cruise liner departs for Tianjin

Chinese cruise liner Henna, which was detained in Jeju, South Korea, over the weekend, left for China on Sept 16, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Chinese cruise liner Henna, which had been detained by a court in Jeju, the Republic of Korea, has departed and is scheduled to arrive in Tianjin on Wednesday morning, the operator announced.

The cruise liner, with 1,659 passengers and a crew of 650 on board, was detained on Friday by a Jeju local court when a shipping service company, Jiangsu Shagang International Trade Co, Ltd applied for a seizure order because of a legal dispute.

Beijing-based HNA Tourism Holding (Group) Company Ltd, the operator of the detained cruise, said on its micro blog on Monday evening that 1,558 passengers had returned to China on chartered planes as of 8:59 pm.

The remaining passengers and crew members left Jeju on the ship at 7:38 pm on Monday, and are scheduled to arrive in a port in Tianjin at about 10:58 am, the company said.

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