• The Korea-China car ferry passenger service at Incheon Port, which had been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has resumed after a 3-year and 7-month hiatus, bringing renewed vitality to the Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal which opened in 2020, as it welcomes its first guests.

   

• The Incheon Port Authority (www.icpa.or.kr, President Lee Kyung-Gyu) announced on the 13^th that the car ferry New Golden Bridge V, servicing the Qingdao-Incheon route, arrived at the Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal on the morning of the 12th with 118 passengers on board.

• According to IPA, the New Golden Bridge V departed from Qingdao on the afternoon of the 10th.

• On the morning of the 12th, IPA President Lee Kyung-Gyu, Yoon Sang-lin, Chief of the Seafarer and Maritime Safety Division at the Incheon Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries, Yoon Hyun-Mo, Director of the Maritime and Aviation Division of Incheon Metropolitan City, and Park Joon-young, CEO of the car ferry company Weidong Ferry, formally welcomed the car ferry passengers arriving at Incheon Port for the first time in 3 years and 7 months due to the suspension of the Korea-China car ferry passenger service at the height of COVID-19. Bouquets of flowers were presented to the captain of the New Golden Bridge V and the first three passengers at the main hall lobby on the 2nd floor of the Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal.

• The Korea-China car ferry passenger service suspended passenger transport and mainly transported cargo as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, with the recent declarations of endemic status by various countries, including South Korea, as well as the subsequent ease in quarantine regulations, passenger transport has finally resumed.

• IPA, in collaboration with relevant institutions and agencies involved in international ferry terminal operations, has been proactively inspecting overall operating procedures to ensure a swift response upon the resumption of the Korea-China car ferry passenger services.

  ▴ Supervision of safety and traffic flow with regard to passenger arrivals, departures, and baggage handling

  ▴ Evaluation of the proper functioning of major equipment essential for terminal operation, such as baggage transfer facilities and security screening equipment

  ▴ Assessment of the capacity to address emergency scenarios (smuggling attempts, the introduction of prohibited items, and the presence of individuals exhibiting fever symptoms)

* The agencies involved include the Incheon Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries, CIQ (Customs, Immigration, Quarantine), National Intelligence Service, Korea Coast Guard, Incheon Metropolitan City, Incheon Port Security Corporation, Incheon Port Facility Management Center, and Incheon Tourism Organization.

• IPA President Lee Kyung-Gyu remarked “The resumption of passenger ferry service between Korea and China after a 3-year and 7-month hiatus is of significant importance. Beginning with the Qingdao car ferry route, most of the Korea-China car ferry routes connecting Incheon and Northern China are expected to restore passenger traffic within the next month.” He also emphasized, “We hope that this development will attract numerous tourists to Incheon and contribute to the revitalization of the local economy."