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Operator of capsized Yangtze ship one of oldest in business

TOKYO — Chongqing Eastern Shipping, the operator of the cruise ship that capsized in the Yangtze river with more than 450 people aboard, is one of China’s oldest pleasure cruise companies, struggling to compete with newcomers offering much fancier accommodations.

Chinese soldiers stand near a wrapped body as rescuers work on the capsized ship, center, on the Yangtze River in central China's Hubei province Wednesday, June 3, 2015. Photo: AP

Chinese soldiers stand near a wrapped body as rescuers work on the capsized ship, center, on the Yangtze River in central China's Hubei province Wednesday, June 3, 2015. Photo: AP

TOKYO — Chongqing Eastern Shipping, the operator of the cruise ship that capsized in the Yangtze river with more than 450 people aboard, is one of China’s oldest pleasure cruise companies, struggling to compete with newcomers offering much fancier accommodations.

For decades, the sunken Eastern Star, the Eastern Pearl and other “three-star” cruise ships have made the 1,800km journey from Chongqing, perched high above the Yangtze, past the craggy, scenic Three Gorges and their gargantuan dam, to Nanjing, way down in the swampy lowlands.

Chongqing Eastern Shipping was founded in 1967 during the tumult of the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution as a state company handling river cargo transport from the upper reaches of the Yangtze to the sea. Since the early 1990s it also has run cruise ships, mostly very basic vessels with tiny cabins and toilets that double as shower stalls.

Operators of the flat-bottomed, multi-decked ships charge their mostly older, Chinese passengers modest fares of 1,000 yuan (S$217.54) and up for three to five day tours, most meals included. The boats ply a river that is often difficult to navigate and the industry as a whole struggles to find qualified staff, at least partly because of low salaries.

Rescuers escalated efforts to retrieve missing people today (June 3) from the Eastern Star, which sits belly up in the middle stretch of the river with more than 420 people unaccounted for after it capsized late Monday.

As scores of divers searched, a large crane stood ready for a possible effort to raise the craft. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said 19 bodies had been recovered and 14 people were rescued.

The 2,200 gross-ton vessel, built in 1994, is 76.5m long and carries a maximum of 534 passengers.

The newer cruise lines have larger ships with mostly smaller passenger loads: the 10,680-ton Victoria Jenna, inaugurated in 2009, is 134m long and carries up to 378 passengers.

The fancier vessels generally offer amenities such as private balconies, fully equipped bathrooms, fitness facilities, Internet access and cable television.

The flow of tourists through the Three Gorges area peaked with a rush to see sites due to be inundated before the giant dam’s completion in 2012.

Enough historic and cultural sites remain to ensure a steady stream of tourists eager to escape busy cities for a leisurely river cruise on the Yangtze’s turbid brown waters. But the numbers of passengers have been decreasing and the construction of expressways and high-speed railways is reducing demand, putting further pressure on the passenger travel industry. AP

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