An executive with the Minsk theme park located in Shenzhen yesterday denied that the aircraft carrier would be relocated to Hong Kong, stressing a second auction would be held in mid-May to decide the fate of the park.

After an unsuccessful auction in March, some Hong Kong-based media reported that a marine specialist named Charlie Frew had proposed the 40,000-ton Minsk be converted into an artificial reef in the waters around that city.

Frew had suggested towing the 271-meter-long ship 10 kilometers from its current location to the waters off Hong Kong's eastern New Territories and sinking it between two islands near Sai Kung. According to Frew, it would lead to a rapid expansion in fish stocks and encourage the growth of native corals. Frew had asked several government offices to help acquire the vessel.

"It's only wishful thinking," said Yang Wenzhi, a senior manager with the Minsk park. "Besides, the terms of the sale have regulated that the owner of the vessel has to keep the warship running as a theme park for another five years in Shenzhen."

Meanwhile, the Shenzhen Xutongda Company, which will handle the second auction for Minsk, stated that all bidders should register with it. The company declined to disclose the specific date, venue and starting price for the auction.

The aircraft carrier was built in 1975 but retired in 1993 after an accident. The vessel was later sold to the Shenzhen Minsk Aircraft Carrier Industry Co., which formed the theme park, Minsk World. The company recently went out of business, and the carrier was put up for auction in March with a reserve price of 128 million yuan (US$16 million), but failed to attract a bid.

(Shenzhen Daily May 9, 2006)