Princess Cruises, a California-based subsidiary of the Carnival Corporation, will homeport a new ship in China as early as mid 2017, the company said.

The ship will be the first year-round international luxury cruise liner designed and built for the Chinese market, Princess said.

The liner, which is under construction at Fincantieri shipyard in Trieste, Italy, and has yet to be named, will be based in Shanghai and have room for 3,600 guests.

No itineraries for the liner have been announced.

"This move is the latest in a series of investments Carnival Corporation has made in the future of cruising in China, including adding ships and itineraries, customizing experiences for Chinese travelers and working with the government to help realize its goal to be a leading cruise market in the world," a Carnival representative told China Daily in a Wednesday email.

"China is extremely important to the cruise industry," the Carnival representative wrote. "The market will surpass 1 million cruisers this year for the first time and will eventually be the largest cruise market in the world. The market can handle the added capacity and there is even more room for growth."

Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, said in a statement accompanying Tuesday's announcement: "Deploying our next new ship in China underscores our strong commitment to growing the China cruise market."

The ship will feature a number of special amenities, including: Carnival's SeaWalk, an over-the-ocean top-deck, glass-bottomed walkway that extends beyond the edge of the ship; a multi-story atrium at the center of the ship; and the largest outdoor movie screen at sea.

Princess' new liner will also showcase a number of specifically designed themes for Chinese travelers, including traditional Asian cuisine and a range of Chinese-themed cultural and entertainment offerings.

Carnival Corp & plc is a British-American multinational cruise company. Carnival owns and operates nine cruise ship brands, including: Carnival Cruise Line, Italy-based Costa Cruises and Princess Cruises in Santa Clarita, California.

The company was the first global cruise line to enter the Chinese market, with the Costa brand making its initial foray in 2006. Costa and Princess control upward of 55 percent of the Chinese cruising market, company data showed.

Princess Cruises began homeport cruising in China in May of last year, with its Sapphire Princess line. The Sapphire class ship is set to return to Shanghai for a second season running from June to October.

Michael Thamm, chief executive officer of the Costa Group, told China Daily last month that the company would work to occupy the leading position in the cruise market in China "with a wide variety of innovations and strong growth".

So far, about 40 percent of bookings in the rapidly growing Chinese market are made for Costa ships, according to the company.

Carnival said its passenger volume in China is expected to approach 500,000 passengers this year, raising its market presence by 140 percent since 2013, according to company data.

In 2014, 10 million Americans boarded cruise ships, compared to about 700,000 from China, Carnival said.

The China figure represented a 79 percent year-on-year increase, according to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

Asia will see a "record-breaking year" in 2015 with more travelers cruising the region than ever before, Adam M. Goldstein, global chairman of CLIA, said in an April interview with China Daily.

Goldstein, who is also the president of Royal Caribbean Cruises, said that an increasing number of cruises with experiences tailored to Asian travelers are being offered by the global cruise industry.

China has become one of the more highly sought-after cruise markets in recent years, and companies are positioning themselves to make a splash.

In January, Carnival Corp announced plans to pursue joint ventures that could see the cruise giant owning ships and developing ports and infrastructure with a Chinese development company.