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Minghua(ship)

Coordinates:22°29′11″N113°54′42″E/ 22.48639°N 113.91167°E/22.48639; 113.91167
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Minghuaas part of the Sea World Complex in Shenzhen, China
History
Name
  • 1962-1973:Ancerville
  • 1973-1983:Minghua
  • 1983 – present: (Part ofSea World,Shenzhen)
Owner
  • 1962-1970: Compagnie de Navigation Paquet (CNP)
  • 1970-1973: Novelle Compagnie de Paquebots (NCP)
  • 1973-1983: China Ocean Shipping Co. (COSCO)
  • 1983 – present: China Merchants Group.
Port of registry
BuilderChantiers de l'Atlantique
LaunchedApril 5, 1962
In serviceSeptember 5, 1962
Out of serviceAugust 17, 1983
IdentificationIMO number:5015957
StatusLandlocked as tourist attraction
General characteristics
Tonnage14,225gross register tons(GRT)
Length551 feet
Beam72 feet
Propulsion2 xBurmeister & WainDiesel Engines
Speed22.5knots
Capacity756 passengers
Crew173

Minghua(simplified Chinese:Minh hoa;traditional Chinese:Minh hoa;pinyin:Mínghuá;Jyutping:ming4 waa4), formerlyMVAncerville,is a 1962Frenchlinerlater converted to acruise ship.Now landlocked, she is the centerpiece of theSea World developmentinShekou,Shenzhen,China.

Design and construction[edit]

She was designed as a liner for theCompagnie de Navigation Paquet(CNP) to serve theirMarseilletoDakar,Senegalroute and built byChantiers de l'Atlantique,St Nazaire.She had a yacht like streamed profile and a unique accommodation arrangement. Her cabins were mostly located forward and the public rooms aft.[1]

As built, she had three classes of accommodation, 171 first class, 342 second and 243 third class passengers. First and Second in cabins, Third class in 4 to 10 berth dormitories. All the Cabins and Dormitories were facing outside so all had portholes or windows. There were open and enclosed promenades, bars, restaurants, a smoking room, library, children's playroom, photo lab, laundry and theatre. There were also two swimming pools aft and a small one forward, although the latter was short-lived. She was fitted with anti rolling stabilizers and air conditioned throughout.[2]

Her main engines were twoBurmeister & Wain12-cylinder two-stroke diesel engines with a 620mm bore and 900mm stroke fitted with Brown-Boveriturbochargers.Each engine rated at 12,000 bhp at 200 rpm driving two propellers.[3]During sea trials she reached 25 Knots,[4]her service speed was 22.5 Knots.[2]

She was launched on 5 April 1962 by the French President,Charles de Gaulleand entered service 5 September 1962, with a cruise to theCanary Islands.

Her original name comes from the town ofAncerville, Meusein North-East France, the birthplace of Nicolas Paquet, the founder of CNP.[5]

French Liner "Ancerville" 1962-1973[edit]

Her usual route was from Marseille to Dakar lasting 6 days in each direction, calling atCasablancaandTenerifeon the outward voyage andLas Palmasand Casablanca again on the return, with sailings twice a month.[6]She would occasionally make other stopovers en route atAlicante,MadeiraorTangiers.[7]She also operated as a cruise ship during part of each year, increasingly so after 1970. When cruising, she was configured as a one class ship with passenger numbers limited to 500,[8]the 3rd class dormitories were not used. Cruises were usually around theMediterranean,West Africaand laterSouth America.

In 1970 her ownership was transferred from Compagnie de Navigation Paquet to a sister company, Nouvelle Compagnie de Paquebots (NCP), but continued on her usual routes.[9]In July 1970,Ancervillerescued all passengers and crew of the burning and sinking linerFulvianear the Canary Islands.[10]The MV Ancerville appears in two Senegalese films:Black Girl (1966)andTouki Bouki (1973).[11]

In early 1973, due to competition from airlines, the ship was sold to theChina Ocean Shipping Company(COSCO) owned by thePeople's Republic of China(PRC) and renamedMinghua,meaning "Spirit of China".[12]As COSCO needed the ship as soon as possible, her final cruise returning from the carnival in Rio de Janeiro was terminated abruptly in Tenerife[13]instead of Marseille and the passengers flown home.[14]She sailed to Malta for a dry dock inspection and ownership passed to COSCO in April 1973.[15]

TANZARA Railway Project 1973-1978[edit]

The Minghua operated from China toDar Es Salaam,Tanzaniaunder the management of COSCO to service the construction of theTAZARA Railway,the largest single foreign-aid project undertaken by China at the time.[16]For five years she ferried Chinese workers to Tanzania to work on the railway being built from Tanzania to Zambia.[17]At times she also acted as an accommodation ship in Dar Es Salaam.[18]

Refugee ship – June 1978[edit]

In 1978 rising racial tensions inVietnambetween the Vietnamese and the ethnic Chinese who had settled there during colonial times caused a refugee crisis. Large numbers of the Chinese population attempted to flee to China. In June, the Chinese government dispatched the Minghua[19]and one other ship from Canton (nowGuangzhou), to help evacuate refugees. The ships departed with great ceremony to Vietnam. However, on arrival they remained offshore, whilst negotiations continued on when and where the ships could dock. After several weeks with no agreement reached, the mission was aborted.[20]

China-Japan Friendship Boat Mission – May 1979[edit]

In May 1979 the Minghua took a Chinese Government goodwill delegation of 600 people led by GeneralLiao Chengzhi,the President of the China-Japan Friendship Association toJapanto help improve relations between the two countries. The Minghua spent a month cruising around Japan, arriving first at the western port ofShimonosekiand continuing on toKyoto,Nagoya,Toyama,TokyoandNagasakibefore returning to China.[21]

Members of the delegation met with senior Japanese politicians, including Prime MinisterOhira Masayoshi,two former Prime Ministers,Tanaka KakueiandTakeo Fukudaand the Japanese Foreign MinisterSonoda Sunao,also many influential business leaders. There was a notable meeting between GeneralSu YuandYamashita Ganri,then the Director-General of the Defense Agency, the first meeting between a high official of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and a Japanese defense chief.[22][23]

Cruise Ship based in Australia 1979-1983[edit]

In 1979 a new company, 'Asian Pacific Cruises' was formed inSydney,Australia.They arranged to charter the Minghua to operate cruises from Australia to the South Pacific,Hong Kong,SE Asia, Japan and China. She was given an extensive refit in Hong Kong, and upon completion was able to accommodate 580 passengers.[24]Her first voyage as a rebuilt cruise ship, departed Shanghai on 15 December[25]to Sydney arriving on New Year's Eve.

Her next cruise was from Sydney toAucklandand the South Pacific.[24]However mid cruise a dispute arose between Asian Pacific Cruises and COSCO resulting in the charter being cancelled.[26]COSCO invited an established shipping line,Burns, Philp & Co.in Sydney to continue as a joint venture partner. The resulting Five Star Shipping & Agency Co. Pty. Ltd. was the first Sino-Australian Joint Venture company established in Australia.[27]

Burns Philp successfully organized cruises for the next3+1⁄2years under the banner "Minghua Friendship Cruises", whilst COSCO operated the ship. Most were out of Sydney and varied from short "Cruises to Nowhere" to two or three week cruises to New Zealand, the South Pacific and SE Asia and up to six week cruises to Asia, China, Japan and Hawaii.[28]In Australia, Cairns was a frequent port of call and there were occasional visits toAdelaide,Melbourne,Brisbane,Hobart,FremantleandDarwin,usually on the way to Asian destinations.

In July 1980 the ship sailed to Hong Kong for a major refit,[8][29]the interiors refurbished and the light green hull painted white, returning to Sydney a much improved ship. Between May and July 1981 there were a series of cruises out of Darwin toBali,Singapore,Thailandand Hong Kong.[30]In August 1981, she received yet another refit in Hong Kong and her capacity reduced to 450 passengers. By now she had become known by many as the "Friendship", well liked by its mostly Australian passengers for its informality.[8]

On February 2, 1983, after a disagreement over money the joint venture partners announced the ship would be withdrawn with the final cruise commencing May 20 to Hong Kong arriving on June 9. The announcement was unexpected and cruises already scheduled for later in the year toHawaiiand China were cancelled.[31]During her time sailing from Australia she had completed around 70 cruises,[32]with 17,000 passengers[33]over the3+1⁄2years.

Whilst in Hong Kong, she operated two further cruises to Japan. These were exclusively for the Japanese market.[8]After these were completed she was sold to become a hotel and entertainment complex in theShekou Industrial Zonelocated in China on thePearl Riverdelta across from Hong Kong near Shenzhen,[34]then being developed by theChina Merchants Group.[35]

Hotel and entertainment complex 1983–present[edit]

On August 17, 1983, the ship arrived in Shekou,[34]to be refitted as a tourist attraction and part of an entertainment complex that in 1984 was namedSea World( trên biển thế giới ) by Deng Xiaoping, the PRC's paramount leader, during a stay on board the Minghua.[36]Her new features included 253 hotel rooms, Chinese and Western restaurants, an English Bar, Bamboo Grove Bar, Music Dance Hall, swimming pool, health center, children's recreation center and the China Folk Customs Exhibition Center. Even though the ship was considered a building after becoming part of Sea World, she was not removed from theLloyd's Registeruntil 1991.[37]

When the ship arrived in Shekou, she was moored alongside a quay adjacent to what was to become the rest of the Sea World Complex; however, during the 1990s the area around her berth was reclaimed from the sea for a golf course and she became landlocked. The ship closed in 1998 due to management problems after a fire.[34]Throughout the time she was closed her exterior was kept well maintained, but her interiors were badly neglected.

In December 2001 a majorRMB70M (US$8.45M) refurbishment of the ship began, completed in 2005. The complex surrounding and including the ship, now called Sea World Plaza. During the refurbishment larger windows were installed on the upper decks. The ship hosted a four-star hotel, Brazilian barbecue restaurant, numerous Western restaurants, awine barand cigar house, acoffee shop,boutiqueandmovie theater.[38]

The area around the ship was heavily damaged by floods in June 2007 which briefly surrounded the ship with water once again.[34]In 2010 China Merchants embarked on a complete revamp of the Minghua and its surrounds.[39]The lifeboats were removed and an ornamental lake built around the starboard side of the ship. Completed in December 2013[35]the ship now has a 110-room hotel, a Löwenburg Brauerei and Restaurant and a variety of other bars and restaurants, Western and Chinese. The interior of the ship and its décor is completely modern and no longer represents the interior as it was during her days afloat.[40]

References[edit]

  1. ^Andrew O. Coggins Jr (22 October 2004)."Chapter 2 Legends in Tourism and Hospitality"(PDF).Virginia Tech.Blacksburg, Virginia. p. 89.Retrieved10 December2020.
  2. ^ab"Ancerville accommodation guide and deck plan". Compagnie de Navigation Paquet. 1965.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
  3. ^"Automation, large bores and short strokes".The Motorship.1 October 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 2 December 2020.Retrieved2 December2020.Engine Details
  4. ^"Ancerville reaches 25 Knots in tests".Le Monde(in French). 15 August 1962. Archived fromthe originalon 12 September 2023.Retrieved2 December2020.
  5. ^"Le Paquebots Ancerville, Part 1".Croisieres Paquebots(in French). 12 October 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 19 December 2020.Retrieved19 December2020.Nicolas Paquet. Originaire d'Ancerville dans la Meuse
  6. ^"Cruises to Dakar Brochure". Compagnie de Navigation Paquet. 1964.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
  7. ^"Ancerville".Maritime timetable images.1971.Archivedfrom the original on 2 December 2020.Retrieved2 December2020.Ports visited
  8. ^abcdPeter Plowman (2007).Australian Cruise Ships.Rosenberg Publishing Pty Ltd. p. 29.ISBN978-1877058509.Cruise config, Refits and final Japanese cruises
  9. ^Famous Liners Online
  10. ^Olsofjord
  11. ^https:// cinemamonogatari /2021/09/01/touki-bouki-1973/
  12. ^Cruise line
  13. ^"Ancerville in Canaries".Le Monde(in French). 20 March 1973. Archived fromthe originalon 12 September 2023.Retrieved6 December2020.Final cruise from Rio terminates in Tenerife
  14. ^"Final cruise passengers flown to Paris".Le Monde(in French). 21 March 1973. Archived fromthe originalon 12 September 2023.Retrieved6 December2020.
  15. ^"Ancerville in drydock".Getty Images.2 April 1973.Archivedfrom the original on 6 December 2020.Retrieved6 December2020.Prior to sale to PRC
  16. ^"China's Assistance in the Construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway".Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PRC.Archivedfrom the original on 6 December 2020.Retrieved6 December2020.
  17. ^"Tanzania Railway Project".Pacific Daily News.Agana Heights, Guam. 10 April 1981. p. 1.Five years ferrying Chinese Workers
  18. ^"Tanzania Railway Project".Santa Cruz Sentinel.Santa Cruz, California. 22 May 1983. p. 27.Housing and ferrying Chinese workers
  19. ^"Minghua to Vietnam".The San Francisco Examiner.16 June 1978. p. 18.
  20. ^"Beijing, Hanoi and the Overseas Chinese, Pao-min Chang, China Research Monograph #24, Institute of East Asia Studies, University of California"(PDF).Berkeley Library.pp. 38, 43.Archived(PDF)from the original on 12 November 2020.Retrieved12 November2020.Departure from Guangzhou and aborted mission
  21. ^Mayumi Itoh (2012).Pioneers of Sino-Japanese Relations; Liao and Takasaki.Palgrave Macmillan.ISBN978-1-137-02734-4.Chapter 8
  22. ^Kurt Werner Radtke (1990).China's Relations with Japan, 1945-83: the role of Liao Chengzhi.Manchester University Press. p. 243.ISBN0-7190-2795-0.
  23. ^Appearances of Leading Chinese Officials During 1979.National Foreign Assessment Center, CIA. 1980. pp. xxxiii, 280.
  24. ^ab"Asian Pacific Cruises".The Sydney Morning Herald.29 September 1979. p. 42.cruise schedule
  25. ^"Maiden Voyage and Operational area".The Sydney Morning Herald.24 August 1979. p. 3.
  26. ^"MS Minghua".ssMaritime.Archivedfrom the original on 26 November 2020.Retrieved26 November2020.Asian Pacific Cruises termination in 1980
  27. ^"Company Profile".COSCO shipping Lines.Archivedfrom the original on 2 December 2020.Retrieved2 December2020.
  28. ^"Minghua Cruise #44 to 65 Schedule".The Sydney Morning Herald.9 January 1982. p. 89.
  29. ^"Cruise #11 & 12 to/from HK".The Sydney Morning Herald.1 June 1980. p. 31.
  30. ^"Cruises from Darwin".The Sydney Morning Herald.11 April 1981. p. 45.
  31. ^"Termination of JV in 1983".The Sydney Morning Herald.3 February 1983. p. 3.
  32. ^"Au revoir Cruise #68".The Age.Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 28 February 1983. p. 16.
  33. ^"17,000 passengers over 3 years".The Sydney Morning Herald.Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 3 February 1983. p. 3.
  34. ^abcd"MV MINGHUA Lives On".Maritime Matters.Archivedfrom the original on 12 July 2012.Retrieved26 November2020.Arrival in Shekou
  35. ^ab"New Sea World to Light up Shekou".Commerce Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality.December 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 2 December 2020.Retrieved26 November2020.China Merchants, Shekou's major developer
  36. ^James Baquet (21 January 2011)."Shekou Sea World".Shenzhen Daily.Archivedfrom the original on 26 November 2020.Retrieved26 November2020.Deng Xiaoping visit and naming of Sea World
  37. ^Lloyds Register of Shipping 1990-91.1990.
  38. ^SS Minghua Lives On
  39. ^Vera Tse (11 December 2013)."New Seaworld Plaza, New Shekou Hub".Shenzhen Party.Archivedfrom the original on 26 November 2020.Retrieved26 November2020.
  40. ^"Hotel details".Shenzhen Cruise Inn Hotel.Archivedfrom the original on 11 December 2020.Retrieved11 December2020.

22°29′11″N113°54′42″E/ 22.48639°N 113.91167°E/22.48639; 113.91167

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