The New Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal under construction in the port city, west of Seoul.
INCHEON, Jan. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Incheon’s new ferry passenger terminal, linking the western South Korean port to 10 Chinese cities, will formally open on June 15, officials said Monday.
The Incheon Port Authority has built the New Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal in the city’s Songdo International Business District at a cost of 154.7 billion won (US$131 million).
The total floor area of the terminal is 65,600 square meters, larger than nine soccer fields combined.
The new terminal is also about twice the total area of the 25,587-square-meter 1st Incheon International Ferry Terminal, which provides ferry services to 10 Chinese destinations, and the 11,256-square-meter 2nd Incheon International Ferry Terminal.
According to the Incheon Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries, the two existing ferry terminals will be relocated to the new terminal by June 14 and 21, respectively.
The office noted the new ferry terminal will launch ferry services for four Chinese ports — Weihai, Qingdao, Tianjin and Lianyungang — on June 15, while ferry services for six other Chinese destinations — Dalian, Dandong, Yantai, Sudao, Yingkou and Qinhuangdao — will begin on June 22.
The office plans to hold various events to celebrate the new terminal’s opening in late June after discussions with relevant institutions.
The number of ferry passengers between Incheon and the 10 Chinese cities topped 1 million last year for the first time since 2011.
South Korea and China have 16 regular ferry routes between their ports, with 10 departing from Incheon, five from Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and one from Gunsan, North Jeolla Province.
(Yonhap)
