Astro Ocean Cruises and the Piano Land made their debut in Shanghai on Nov. 8 as the ship marked her maiden call in China’s leading cruise port.

The turnaround call saw the vessel sail to Fukuoka in Japan.

It’s the third Chinese homeport in the span of six weeks as Astro Ocean works to open the market following homeport operations in Xiamen and Shenzhen.

Marking the first call in Shanghai, local port and city officials boarded the ship for a ceremony with company executives, the vessel’s officers and executives from both China Travel Group and COSCO Shipping Group.

The company is a joint venture between China Travel Group and COSCO Shipping Group with an aim to develop the national cruise industry in China, according to a company statement.

Chen Jian, Party Secretary of COSCO Shipping (Xiamen), said that the ship sailing is helping open a new chapter in China’s cruise industry by combing two central enterprises  and local promotion.