'Floating Resort' Boosts Pohang... 110,000t International Cruise Departs from Yeongilman Port

Largest Cruise Ship Trial Visit Since Port Opening

Over 3,000 Passengers, 7 Days Touring Japan and Taiwan

The largest cruise ship ever will make a trial departure from Pohang Yeongilman Port.

On the 5th, Gyeongbuk Province will hold the first departure ceremony of the international cruise attraction pilot project at Pohang Yeongilman Port, attended by about 200 people including Lee Dal-hee, Deputy Governor for Economic Affairs, heads of provincial and Pohang city organizations, and tourists.

So far, mainly ships ranging from 5,200 tons to 50,000 tons have docked at Yeongilman Port. Ahead of the completion of the Pohang Yeongilman Port International Passenger Terminal expansion project in August next year, this departure ceremony will demonstrate the capacity to accommodate large international cruise ships in Pohang.

The trial voyage will feature the Costa Serena (114,500 tons). This trial voyage serves as an opportunity to assess Yeongilman Port's potential as a home port or port of call for cruise operations and to analyze operational issues.

Cruise ship Costa Serena visiting Sokcho Port in 2018. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The cruise itinerary departs from Yeongilman Port on the 5th and visits Okinawa, Miyakojima in Japan, and Keelung in Taiwan over seven days, returning on the 11th.

About 3,000 passengers were recruited nationwide for this voyage, and a tourism package linking group tours to Jukdo Market, accommodation, and transportation has been organized, which is expected to benefit the local commercial district.

The Italian-flagged Costa Serena is a 290-meter-long, 36-meter-wide cruise ship with 14 decks and a gross tonnage of 114,000 tons, capable of carrying 1,100 crew members and 3,780 passengers.

The Costa Serena features 1,500 cabins, a grand theater, four restaurants, 13 lounge bars, four swimming pools of various sizes, a spa, fitness center, casino, duty-free shops, and various other facilities.

Offering diverse entertainment such as grand theater performances and movie screenings, it is called a resort on the sea.

The cruise tourism industry is a representative high value-added industry. By attracting large international cruise ships as home ports or ports of call, it is expected to expand international tourists, boost exports of ship supplies, foster cruise-specialized personnel, support crew employment with overseas shipping companies, and promote related industries.

Although Pohang, Gyeongbuk, has lagged behind other regions such as Busan, Incheon, and Gangwon due to insufficient port conditions in the international cruise tourism sector, the completion of the international passenger terminal will enable the docking of large cruise ships, making it a new mecca for cruise tourism.

Gyeongbuk Province is focusing efforts on revitalizing the East Coast cruise tourism industry by strengthening port sales to attract cruise calls, developing new routes to cities in the East Sea Rim such as Russia, China, and Japan, developing various tourism products including marine tourism, historical tourism, and urban tourism, and encouraging interest from related ministries such as the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries as well as enhancing online marketing.

Lee Dal-hee, Deputy Governor for Economic Affairs of Gyeongbuk Province, said, “We will do our best to expand cruise tourism infrastructure so that Pohang Yeongilman Port can become the central port of marine tourism in Gyeongbuk and to develop cruise tourism programs linked with Gyeongbuk’s tourist attractions to attract many tourists.”

Schedule of the departure ceremony for the large cruise ship Costa Serena at Yeongilman Port on the 5th.