Local authorities in Hainan Province have opened a large fishing port near the Nansha Islands on Monday, Aug. 1, to serve fishing vessels in the South China Sea, China Daily reported.
A ceremony was held for the opening of the port at Yazhou, some 50 kilometers west of Sanya in Hainan Province, which also coincides with the culmination of the annual fishing ban that started May 16, in the South China Sea.
Flying red flags, more than 300 fishing boats left the port at noon on Aug. 1 for the fishing grounds of the South China Sea but others cancelled their long journeys in anticipation of Typhoon Nida.
One of the fishermen from Sanya, Gui Junjiang, sailed together with his colleagues from the port to the Xisha Islands, about 260 kilometers away.
"The new port will provide a more comfortable, clean environment for fishermen, as well as more convenience," Gui said.
The new port can accommodate about 800 fishing vessels, with a potential to handle about 2,000 in the future, Li Jin, vice-general manager of Sanya Yazhou Port Investment Co, said.
"We have not had a large and modern public fishing port that performs various functions. We have now filled the gap," Zhang Huazhong, head of the Sanya Ocean and Fishery Bureau, said.
Hailed as the largest in Hainan, the port will not only be used for as docking area for fishing vessels, it can also serve as a shelter during typhoons. The port will also be used as a logistics and studies center for fisheries products.
According to Zhang, the port has "very important significance in safeguarding China's fishing rights in the South China Sea." It will also serve as a support base to develop fishery resources and as a transit point for supplies for Sansha, the southernmost Chinese city.
Sansha's headquarters is located in the largest of the Xisha Islands, the Yongxing Island.