Keelung Harbor Bureau recently estimated that approximately 400,000 travelers will arrive in Keelung Port on cruise ships this year.
Chen Fu-nan (陳福男), deputy director-general of the bureau, said the harbor has about 55 cruise ships scheduled to dock, roughly a 50 percent increase on last year.
“On June 6, five cruise ships are scheduled to dock at Keelung Port simultaneously,” Chen said, adding that they would be carrying about 4,000 travelers.
The bureau also reported 11 registered cruise ship port calls, doubling the number recorded last year.
Taichung Port has 17 cruise ships scheduled to visit from now until July, while Hualien Port has five cruise ships scheduled to visit.
Last week, Star Cruises, the world’s third-largest cruise line, launched a seasonal cruise service between Keelung and Japan’s Ryuku Islands.
Meanwhile, the Cosco Star, a Chinese passenger and cargo ship, is scheduled to complete its maiden voyage from Xiamen to Kaohsiung today.
The Hong Kong-registered ship was used as part of a shipping service from Xiamen to Keelung and from Xiamen to Taichung last year.
Huang Kuo-ying (黃國英), deputy director general of Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau, said Wang Yongjun (王勇軍), chief of China’s Xiamen Port Authority, is scheduled to arrive at Kaohsiung today along with other official delegates and 350 passengers.
Huang said Fujian Province Governor Huang Xiaojing (黃小晶), who is visiting Taiwan, would also be in Kaohsiung today to sign a letter of intent to enhance cooperation between Kaohsiung Port’s free-trade zone and Haicang Investment Zone in Fujian.
The Cosco Star is designed to carry a maximum 683 passengers and 250 containers. Generally, the voyage from Xiamen to any port in Taiwan takes about eight hours, departing China in the evening and arriving at its destination the next morning.
Statistics from Taichung and Keelung Ports show that the ship carries an average of 100 passengers and 30 containers per voyage.
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