Yiu Lian Dockyards ready for cruise industry’s Asia boomYiu Lian Dockyards ready for cruise industry’s Asia boom

Sam Li Nan, marketing manager, Yiu Lian Dockyards is ‘excited’ about China’s future after new policies were announced earlier this year by the Chinese government aimed at accelerating the development of the country’s cruise industry.

Tourists travelling to China on international voyages are permitted to stay in select coastal provinces visa-free for up to 15 days. The regulations require visitors to enter through one of 13 cruise ports and leave the country on the same ship. Foreign tour groups must be organised by domestic travel agencies and consist of two or more people.

‘I’m excited and confident about China having a more open policy in favour of the cruise industry. I think there will be more cruise lines bringing ships here creating another opportunity for us,’ says Li Nan. ‘Even in the case of ships requiring temporary repair work, this is our chance to shake hands with another cruise line.’

Yiu Lian prides itself on ‘good quality and delivery on time,’ as well as its advanced management system.

A long legacy

Yiu Lian is a subsidiary of China Merchants Industry Holdings whose history can be traced back to the first ship repairs factory in China, the Tongmao Iron Factory, established by China Merchants during the Westernisation Movement in 1874.

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Yiu Lian Dockyards was established in Hong Kong in 1964 under CMI to specialise in ship repairs and conversions while the Shekou yard was founded in 1989, followed by acquisitions of the Zhoushan yard in 2018 and the Weihai yard in 2020.

After more than 100 years, CMI has developed into one of the three major marine equipment manufacturing groups in China with seven shipbuilding and repairs bases that by the end of 2022 had over 35,000 employees and $7.86bn in assets.

The Yiu Lian Dockyards in Hong Kong

More labour and equipment

At the yard in Hong Kong, additional labour and new equipment will be mobilised which Li Nan describes as ‘promising for the cruise ship repair business’. It can serve as a logistics stop with drydocking at the Shekou site.

Shekou has four docks and can manage two to three cruises simultaneously.

As for the yard at Zhoushan, preparations are being made for the site to be able to handle larger cruise vessels: already equipped with two dry docks, a larger dry dock will be operational in two years’ time. Plus, ‘the location of Zhoushan is quite good as it is near Shanghai – the number one cruise port in China,’ Li Nan adds.

Resorts World One

One of Yiu Lian’s most recent cruise projects was Resorts World Cruises’ Resorts World One at the Shekou yard, which required thruster installation and hull coating works, and 20 boats landing for servicing. Prior to that, Viking Sun underwent a drydock in October 2022 at the Zhoushan yard for a galley remodelling, upgrade, dining room refurbishment and shore power system installation.

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Viking Sun at the Zhoushan yard