CAPE TOWN, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- The guided-missile frigate Weifang (Hull 550) of the Chinese Navy was open to the public on Tuesday during a multinational maritime exercise off Cape Town, South Africa.

Hundreds of visitors waited in long queues to board the warship as the crew manned the rails neatly on the deck and waved to the welcome crowd.

In addition to the Chinese warship, a South African naval warship and a Russian naval warship were also open to the public.

The three ships have participated in the multinational maritime exercise hosted by South Africa.

This is the first time that Chinese, Russian and South African navies conduct a joint maritime drill in the Southern African waters.

This exercise, taking place off the southern coast of South Africa on Nov. 25-30, primarily focuses on maritime economic security and interoperability.

The objectives of the drill include developing Chinese, Russian and South African relations through the reinforcement, training a multinational task organization to counter security threats at sea and demonstrating a multinational willingness to ensure regional maritime peace, security and stability.

The open-day event attracted visitors not only from South Africa but also from other countries.

Werner Rosentha, who is from Germany, said he was lucky to have the opportunity to visit the Chinese warship in Cape Town while on holiday.

"This is a great experience for us," he said.

Tony McClure, a South African, said he was greatly impressed by how clean the ship was and its good condition.

"We can see this is not a young ship, it's an old ship but in very good condition. The crew was very friendly ... We were impressed by the weapons on board," McClure said.