Astro Ocean Cruises made its first call to Shenzhen earlier this week as the Piano Land docked in one of China’s key homeports for the first time for a turnaround operation.

The cruise line is a joint venture between CTS (China Travel Services Group) and COSCO (China Ocean Shipping), with V.Ships as the vessel manager.

Attending the first call ceremony, which took place in Shenzhen’s start-of-the-art cruise terminal were executives from Astro Ocean, local government officials, press and media, VIPs and the ship’s officers.

A plaque and key ceremony took place between the ship’s captain, Lars Bengtsson, and officials from the Shenzhen Transportation Bureau.

Shenzhen’s Shekou Taizi Bay Cruise Home Port is located at the southern tip of Shenzhen’s Nanshan District within 30 kilometers of four major airports, including Hong Kong.

The city and terminal hosted the 2017 China Cruise Shipping conference, organized by the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association.

Port facilities currently include a pair of cruise berths and a recently-opened cruise terminal for big ships.