The design of Gulangyu, the first cruise ship of Astro Ocean. [Photo/xmnn.cn]

Astro Ocean, a new cruise line co-founded by the China National Travel Service Group Corp and China COSCO Shipping Corp Ltd, was launched in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province on May 23.

Astro Ocean's headquarters will be established in Xiamen, and the line's first cruise ship will be named Piano Land (Gulangyu Island in Xiamen is also known as Piano Land).

According to an Astro Ocean employee, Xiamen has a sound business environment and huge development prospects in culture and tourism.

Statistics show that Xiamen's cruise industry has achieved explosive growth in recent years.

Since the beginning of this year, the city has received over 50 cruise ships and over 158,500 passengers, with a year-on-year growth of 66.6 percent and 57.3 percent, respectively.

The Piano Land, a 70,000-ton luxury cruise ship with a passenger capacity of 1,880, will embark on its maiden voyage on Sept 30 this year from Xiamen, which will serve as the ship's home port.

It is expected to operate eight voyages in 2019, including several popular routes along the Maritime Silk Road.