Eastern Pearl, which has the same design and owner as the capsized Eastern Star, was suspended from service on Thursday, so that safety checks can be carried out. [Special coverage]
Both vessels belong to Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corp, which has its headquarters in Chongqing's Wanzhou district.
After Monday night's disaster, the Yangtze River Administration of Navigational Affairs under the Ministry of Transport said the company must learn from the disaster and make a thorough check of all its vessels.
It must identify and rectify any safety faults found in the vessels, the administration said. It also must send experts to all its ships currently operating to ensure navigational safety.
Founded in 1967, the State-owned company once operated cargo services between Chongqing and Shanghai, but since the beginning of the 1990s it has run passenger services.
From 2000, it revamped its passenger vessels to meet the rising demand for cruises on the Yangtze.
It now owns six cruise ships worth 150 million yuan ($24 million), including the high-end Eastern Emperor and five midrange vessels.
The latter mainly serve domestic passengers traveling between Chongqing and Nanjing, Jiangsu province.
Eastern Star is one of the five domestic passenger vessels and was built in February 1994. It underwent renovation in 1997.
According to its latest inspection report, the vessel was declared fit to operate in March.
