Fujian has pledged its full support to build the Southeast International Shipping Center in Xiamen, a national project to fuel the local economy and boost the cruise industry.

According to reports, it is planned that the Southeast International Shipping Center construction will be completed in 2015 and the headquarter building is expected to be put into service in 2016.

With a total investment of RMB5.5 billion, the Southeast International Shipping Center package project includes a 100,000-tonne luxury cruise liner, the first of its kind in China, a cruise terminal, a shipping business centre, and a pelagic automated container terminal.

The facilities, all located in the Haicang district of Xiamen city near the Taiwan Strait, are key to further developing the city as a future shipping hub in south east China, and are expected to drive the economic growth of the region.