A Gram-negative, rod-shaped, slightly halophilic and facultatively anaerobic bacterium, designated strain D15-8W(T), was isolated from the sediment of the South China Sea. Growth was found to occur optimally at 25 °C, between pH 7.0 and 8.0 and with 1-5 % (w/v) NaCl. The strain was observed to utilize a variety of organic substrates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as sole carbon sources. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was determined to be 58.7 %. The predominant respiratory quinone was found to be Q-9. The significant fatty acids were determined to be C(16:0), C(16:1) ω9c, C(18:1) ω9c, C(12:0) and C(14:0) 3OH. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain D15-8W(T) fits within the phylogenetic cluster of the genus Marinobacter and is most closely related to Marinobacter segnicrescens CGMCC 1.6489(T), Marinobacter bryozoorum DSM 15401(T), Marinobacter lacisalsi CECT 7297(T) and Marinobacter daqiaonensis CGMCC1.9167(T). The DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain D15-8W(T) and the type strains of the most closely related species were 42.3 % (CGMCC 1.6489(T)), 39.8 % (DSM 15401(T)), 37.3 % (CECT 7297(T)) and 35.2 % (CGMCC1.9167(T)). The results of this polyphasic study indicate that strain D15-8W(T) represents a novel species of the genus Marinobacter, for which the name Marinobacter nanhaiticus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is D15-8W(T) (=CGMCC 1.11019(T)=KCTC 23749(T)).