Incheon Port New International Passenger Terminal Opens on the 15th... Handling Cargo Only Due to 'COVID Impact' with No Passengers

Unification of Existing 1st and 2nd International Passenger Terminals... Largest Single Building in Incheon Port
Designed to Handle 2.2 Million Passengers and Up to 690,000 TEU Cargo Annually by 2030

Incheon Port New International Passenger Terminal View
Photo by Incheon Port Authority

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The new international passenger terminal at Incheon Port, which will serve 10 Korea-China ferry routes used by over one million passengers annually, is set to open on the 15th. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears inevitable that the terminal will operate in a 'half-capacity' mode, handling only cargo for the time being.

According to Incheon Port Authority on the 12th, the new international passenger terminal was constructed in Songdo International City, District 9 of the Incheon Free Economic Zone, after breaking ground in December 2016, with a total project cost of 670.5 billion KRW, taking three years and six months to complete.

The terminal is a large-scale building with a height equivalent to a 9-story apartment (36 meters) and a total floor area of 66,805 square meters, which is 1.8 times larger than the combined size of the existing 1st and 2nd international passenger terminals.

The pier in front of the terminal is equipped with seven berths (a unit of pier where one ship can dock) to simultaneously accommodate six 30,000-ton ferries and one 50,000-ton ferry. Adjacent to it is a dedicated cruise pier with one berth capable of docking the world's largest cruise ships, with a capacity of 225,000 tons.

Once the international passenger pier and terminal open, it will become the largest single building facility in the port since Incheon Port opened in 1883.

The terminal building features five curved roofs shaped like the waves of the five oceans, adding a grand aesthetic, and has created an obstacle-free indoor environment to ensure convenience for people with disabilities. It also incorporates a geothermal heating and cooling system to enhance energy efficiency.

Additionally, four routes (Weihai, Qingdao, Tianjin, and Lianyungang) that previously departed from the 2nd international passenger terminal using the inner harbor will no longer need to pass through the lock gate, reducing the arrival and departure times by about one hour each.

In particular, the international passenger pier significantly improves cargo handling efficiency. The container yard (CY), which was previously operated separately by different stevedoring companies, is now designed to be fully managed within the On-Dock container yard (inside the pier fence), enhancing the efficiency and productivity of container cargo loading and unloading operations.

The new terminal will serve 10 Korea-China ferry routes used by over one million passengers annually. Last year, a total of 1.03 million passengers used the 10 ferry routes between Incheon and China.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger transportation has been completely suspended for five months since January 28 of this year. As a result, after opening on the 15th, the new international passenger terminal will transport only container cargo without passengers for some time.

The Incheon-China ferries can carry between 370 and 1,500 passengers and 145 to 350 TEU (1 TEU equals one 20-foot container) of containers per ship. Last year, they transported a total of 428,402 TEU of cargo.

The new international passenger terminal is designed to handle an annual passenger demand expected to reach 2.2 million by 2030 and a maximum annual cargo volume of 690,000 TEU.

Ferry cargo volume until May this year recorded 145,000 TEU, showing a slight difference compared to 165,000 TEU during the same period last year despite the COVID-19 situation.

Lee Jeonghaeng, Vice President of Operations at Incheon Port Authority, stated, "For the time being, we will focus on expanding ferry cargo volume, another function of Incheon Port's international passenger terminal. Recently, with the surge in e-commerce and rising air freight rates in China, Sea&Air (combined land and sea transport) cargo volume, which plays a key role in ferry cargo, is showing a sharp upward trend."

Meanwhile, the first vessel to dock at the international passenger pier and terminal on the opening day, the 15th, will be Weidong Shipping's 'New Golden Bridge 7.' It operates between Incheon Port and Weihai, China, carrying 724 passengers and 325 TEU of cargo at once. With a gross tonnage of 30,322 tons, it is the third largest ferry operating at Incheon Port.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.