One of Shanghai's best-known tourist attractions will leave the city for a new home in Dalian tomorrow.

Yesterday, Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration helped drag the 42,000-ton Oriana, a luxury cruise ship, from Dongchang Road Port in Pudong to the city's Waigaoqiao Port, where it will await a tug boat from Yantai in Shangdong Province to take it to Dalian.

The Oriana has called the Huangpu River home for four years, offering cruises along the waterway and playing host to countless parties.

"It's pity to see the Oriana leave Shanghai. We used to consider Shanghai an ideal place to run tourism projects on the Oriana," said Yu Huiling, vice general manager of Shanghai Oriana Entertainment Co., Ltd, a branch of Zhejiang Province-based Hangzhou Song Dynasty Town Group, which owns a majority share of the ship.

The floating attraction was forced from its home at Dongchang Port by plans to transform the area into a park as part of the city's effort to redevelop the Huangpu River. Owners of the ship have been searching for a new home in Shanghai since last May.

"We would have preferred to re-settle near the Oriental Pearl Broadcasting and TV Tower," said Yu.

However, the water depth there is just six meters, far short of the 8.8-meters required to berth the Oriana.

So, the Song Dynasty Town Group built its own port in Dalian for the Oriana.

Yu said the Oriana is expected to reach Dalian next Tuesday and will reopen to the public on July 18.

The Song Dynasty Town Group acquired an 85 per-cent stake in the then money-losing ship for 60 million yuan (US$ 7.23 million) at an auction last year.

Since October 15, 2000, the ship has been closed to tourists due to internal management problems, including a more-than-40 million-yuan debt left over from the previous owners.

Launched with great fanfare on December 3, 1960 by Princess Alexandra, cousin of Queen Elizabeth I, the Oriana is a piece of history that has attracted many visitors.

( eastday.com June 20, 2002 )