Taiwan-Japan passenger ferry service to restart after 18-year gap
The Yaima Maru will begin regular sailings from Keelung to Ishigaki, with passenger trips first and cargo service expected later.
- A regular passenger ferry service between Keelung, Taiwan, and Ishigaki Island, Japan, has resumed operations after an 18-year hiatus.
- The Yaima Maru ferry will operate the 270-kilometre route, with the one-way journey taking approximately eight hours.
- The service will initially offer one weekly round trip, with plans to increase to two weekly trips in July.
- In addition to carrying up to 545 passengers, the ferry is expected to begin handling container cargo shipments in about six months.
A scheduled ferry route linking Keelung in northern Taiwan with Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan’s southernmost prefecture, is due to begin regular operations.
The Yaima Maru will make its inaugural trip late Thursday, May 28, when it leaves Keelung port. It is expected to reach Ishigaki Island on Friday morning.
According to Uni-Wagon Marine Co., the Taiwanese company commissioned to operate the service, the route marks the first regular passenger ship connection between Taiwan and Ishigaki Island in 18 years.
“I hope the Yaima Maru will be loved by many people and help deepen the friendship and trust between the two regions,” Ishigaki Mayor Yoshitaka Nakayama said on Thursday at a launch ceremony held at Keelung port.
The ferry is owned by Shosen Yaima Co., based in Ishigaki. It has guest rooms and bathrooms and can carry as many as 545 passengers. The one-way journey covers 270 kilometres and is expected to take about eight hours.
The service will initially run one round trip a week, before increasing to two weekly round trips in July. The lowest one-way fare for May and June is around 10,000 yen.
Passenger movement between Taiwan and Ishigaki Island has been growing, supported by regular direct flights connecting the two areas.
Yeh Hsieh-Lung, director-general of the Maritime and Port Bureau under Taiwan’s Transportation and Communications Ministry, said at the ceremony that container cargo shipments using the Yaima Maru are expected to start in about six months.
He said he hoped the planned cargo operations would strengthen logistics links between Taiwan and Japan.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
