BEIJING, Nov. 20 -- The marine economy in China continued to post stable growth in the first nine months of 2023, the Ministry of Natural Resources said Monday.

The country's gross marine product grew 5.8 percent year on year to 7.2 trillion yuan (about 1 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters, He Guangshun, director of the marine strategic planning and economics department of the ministry, told a press conference.

The output of offshore crude oil and natural gas increased by 4.6 percent and 9.7 percent from a year ago, respectively, during this period.

Demand for new ships soared from January to September, buoying shipbuilding business performance, He said.

New orders received by China's shipbuilders for seagoing ships rose 40.2 percent year on year during the period.

The country's marine tourism also rebounded, with marine passenger traffic jumping 121 percent year on year, and up 0.4 percentage points in September compared with the first eight months of the year.