The MV ''Orient Princess'' is a 1967 built passenger ship, originally built as the ''Yaohua''. She was the first purpose built passenger ship for the

People’s Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, as well as their first flagship.

History

''Orient Princess'' was delivered as ''Yaohua'' to the

China Ocean Shipping Company China Ocean Shipping Company, Limited, formerly China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company, commonly known for its abbreviated name COSCO Group, or simply, COSCO, is a former Chinese Government owned shipping and logistics services supplier compan ...

, who had her first operate from China to East Africa. She would later sail in the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

. ''Yaohua'' had a larger swimming pool then most ships of her size. In 1982 the vessel was chartered to Salén Lindblad Cruises, a move that allowed the ship to become more popular. Salén Lindblad operated her under the name China Cruises beginning in March 1983, having her cruise through the

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest list of rivers of Asia, river in Asia, the list of rivers by length, third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in th ...

and along the Chinese coast. These cruises would begin in either

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. In 1987 she was purchased and renamed ''Orient Princess''. Throughout the 1990s the ''Orient Princess'' would change ownership and roles several times, once operating as a casino ship.

Current situation

''Orient Princess'' was seized by authorities in April 2003 due to her underpaid crew. She was taken over by another Chinese company, who moored her in

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popu ...

as a floating

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural ...

. Two large restaurants were built atop ''Orient Princess'', one being placed aft of the

boat deck A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary or upper deck is the horizontal structure that forms the "roof" of the hull, strengthening it and serving as the primary working surface. V ...

superstructure, the other on her

promenade deck The promenade deck is a deck found on several types of passenger ships and riverboats. It usually extends from bow to stern, on both sides, and includes areas open to the outside, resulting in a continuous outside walkway suitable for ''promen ...

. As of 2010 not much else is known of the ship's current status. The ship can currently be seen via satellite on the North Bank of the

Haihe River The Hai River (海河, lit. "Sea River"), also known as the Peiho, ("White River"), or Hai Ho, is a Chinese river connecting Beijing to Tianjin and the Bohai Sea. The Hai River at Tianjin is formed by the confluence of five watercourses: the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orient Princess 1966 ships Passenger ships of China Ships built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique