Qingdao Port International Co Ltd and United Arab Emirates' marine terminal operator DP World signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement in Dubai on Monday to work on establishing cruise lines between Qingdao and Dubai, domestic media reported.

The agreement will also focus on greater container terminal cooperation between Qingdao port and Dubai's Jebel Ali and Rashid ports, according to 21st Century Business Herald.

Qingdao Port had previously announced plans to convert an old port area into an international cruise port, set for operation in May 2015. This latest agreement will see a joint feasibility study into opening a cruise line between Qingdao and the Middle East's largest cruise port at Rashid.

DP World is the world's third-largest maritime terminal operator with 65 piers across the world.