Tripoli, Dec 2 (IANS): Libyan Minister of Transportation Mohamed al-Shohobi has launched the first tourist cruise line between Libya and Turkey, the first trip of its kind in Libya in more than 20 years, the Ministry of Transportation said in a statement.

The cruise line which was launched on Wednesday comes within the framework of the Libyan government's efforts to promote partnership between the public and private sectors.

"The Government of National Unity has contributed to overcoming all the difficulties and obstacles that faced the implementation of this project," the statement said.

"We are in the process of taking several special measures, in agreement with the Egyptian, Tunisian and Moroccan governments, to launch tourist cruise lines in the near future," al-Shohobi said.

The new cruise line is between the Libyan city of Misurata and Turkey's Izmir, Xinhua news agency reported.

"There is a good demand for this cruise line, even though it's not summertime. For the first trip, there are about 220 passengers, and the trip takes about 48 hours," Taha Hadid, spokesman of Misurata maritime station, told Xinhua.