The number of travelers between the Port of Taipei and Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province is expected to increase by about 19 percent to reach 110,000 this year, Taiwan International Ports Corp’s Keelung branch said yesterday.
Increases in demand and supply of passenger transport services, as well as ticket discounts, have contributed to a gradual rise in passengers on the cross-strait sea route, Port of Keelung chief secretary Chang Yi-yuan (張溢源) said.
The number of travelers between the Port of Taipei and Pingtan grew from 71,410 in 2016 and 77,390 in 2017 to 92,000 last year, Chang said, adding that travelers on the route are expected to top 110,000 this year.
Photo: CNA
In view of the increase in passengers, two shipping firms operating the Port of Taipei-Pingtan route — Fujian Cross Strait Ferry Corp and Uni-Wagon Maritime Co — last month began increasing the number of services from four round-trip voyages per week to six round-trip services per week, which has expanded capacity by 12,000 passengers per month, he said.
As of Monday, 45,000 passengers had used the cross-strait ferry service this year, a 26 percent increase from the same period last year, he added.
The shipping firms have been offering discounts to passengers, with a round-trip ticket between the Port of Taipei and Pingtan costing NT$3,000 per person for group travelers or NT$3,500 for individual passengers — only slightly more than a round-trip high-speed rail ticket between Taipei and Zuoying (左營) in Kaohsiung, Chang said.
Most Chinese travelers using the service were tourists, while Taiwanese passengers were mostly business travelers, he said.
The travel time from the Port of Taipei to Pingtan is about three-and-a-half hours, Chang said, adding that Taiwanese are required to present their passport and Mainland Travel Permit to purchase tickets.
The Port of Taipei is close to New Taipei City’s Bali (八里) and Tamsui (淡水) districts, as well as an outlet mall in Linkou District (林口), he said, adding that expressways No. 61 and No. 64 connect the port with Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, which is 25 minutes away.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
RSS