New catamarans made for smooth sailing to islands

Jiuzhou Holdings has spent 230 million yuan ($36 million) on five tailor-made high-speed catamaran passenger vessels that are said to alleviate symptoms of seasickness for Zhuhai's island travelers.

The first twin-hulled boat set off on Aug 3 carrying 210 passengers to Guishan, Wailingding, and Big Wanshan islands.

Australian shipbuilder Incat, designer of the catamarans, gave their bows a wave-like curvature to reduce the shock of waves and rolls in turbulent Wanshan waters. The boats have propellers rather than water jets to increase draft and navigation stability -- another effective way to avoid motion sickness.

Customized passenger liner cruises off Yeli Island 

Afai Southern Shipyard (Panyu Guangzhou) constructed the vessels with an optimized cabin layout and 260 seats.

According to a manager at Jiuzhou Holdings, another three vessels will be launched before the end of this year, and the last one will be completed in June 2019.

There will also be more trips to support development of high-end island tourism, according to a local official.

Zhuhai High-Speed Passenger Liner Co has added ferries running daily island routes, and opened a direct route from Shekou Port in Shenzhen to Guishan, Wailingding, and Dong'ao islands. The Hengqin-Dong'ao Island route has also resumed.

Passenger cabin

Bon voyage [Photos courtesy Zhu Xi / Zhuhai Daily]