MOMAF tries to open international passenger ferry trades in Pusan/Hiroshima, Kokura

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is under discussions to open Pusan/Hiroshima and Pusan/Kokura trades according to requests from the shipping industry. The proposed trades are planned to carry Japanese tourists for the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup games.

The Korea/Japan passenger ferry trade operates according to annual agreements set by the Korea/Japan Maritime Council. The council has met every year since September 1989.

Pusan/Hiroshima trade will be operated by Pukwan Ferry, Pusan/Kokura by Dae-A Express Shipping, and Ulsan/Kokura by Musung shipping. The exact time to deploy vessels and trade routes will be decided upon by the Korea/Japan Maritime Council.

MOMAF is planning to issue ocean-going passenger carrier licenses to the relevant shipping companies after examining vessel safety, CIQ (Custom Immigration Quarantine), and port facilities, pending confirmation of the trade by the Korea/Japan Maritime Council.

If the three routes open, international passenger ferry trades would cover to six ports with 11 vessels being deployed amongst them, up from the current four port coverage with 9 vessels, i.e. the ports of Tsushima, Shimonoseki, Hakada and Osaka. As for Ulsan, it would be its first chance to offer an international passenger ferry at the port, reincarnating the city as an international logistic center.