Incheon~Baengnyeongdo Large Passenger Ship to Launch in 2028... Agreement with Passenger Ship Company

Incheon City to Support Operating Deficit
for Large Passenger Ship Service
on Incheon-Baengnyeongdo Route

A new large passenger ship of over 2,000 tons is expected to be newly built and launched in 2028 for the Incheon~Baengnyeongdo route.

On the 12th, Incheon City signed a 'Joint Agreement (MOU) for the Operation of a New Large Passenger Ship on the Incheon~Baengnyeong Route' with Ongjin County and the passenger ferry company Goryeo Express Ferry. The agreement mainly involves supporting the operating deficit incurred by the ferry company over 20 years of route operation.

The city agreed to cooperate in providing some financial support to Ongjin County in case of operating deficits for the large passenger ship, and Ongjin County promised administrative and financial support necessary for Goryeo Express Ferry’s new large passenger ship operation. Assemblyman Bae Jun-young also attended the event and pledged to assist in securing national funds to support the operating deficit.

At the 'Incheon-Baengnyeong Route Large Passenger Ship New Construction and Operation Agreement Signing Ceremony' held at Incheon City Hall on the 12th, Yoo Jeong-bok, Mayor of Incheon, Moon Gyeong-bok, Ongjin County Governor (left), Bae Jun-young, Member of the National Assembly (second from right), and Kim Seung-nam, CEO of Goryeo Express Ferry, are posing for a commemorative photo. Provided by Incheon City

Goryeo Express Ferry plans to order a high-speed car ferry with a total domestic tonnage of over 2,000 tons, a maximum speed of over 41 knots, and the capacity to load 20 cars within the first half of this year. The target for launching service on the Incheon~Baengnyeong route is 2028.

Previously, after the 10th public contest, Ongjin County selected Goryeo Express Ferry as the preferred negotiation candidate for the introduction of a large passenger ship on the Incheon~Baengnyeongdo route last month and recently concluded negotiations.

From February 2020 until last year, Ongjin County conducted nine rounds of public contests to introduce a large passenger ship on the route, but no ferry companies participated, or the preferred negotiation candidates gave up the project. In particular, Company A Shipping reportedly abandoned the project in September last year due to the burden of securing shipbuilding funds, despite having signed a business agreement with Ongjin County.

On the Incheon~Baengnyeongdo route, the car ferry Harmony Flower (2,071 tons) operated but ceased service in November 2022 due to the age limit of the vessel (25 years). Currently, the Korea Pride (1,600 tons) and Korea Princess (534 tons) operate on this route, but their small size and inability to carry vehicles cause inconvenience to passengers.

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said at the signing ceremony, "Once the large passenger ship is launched, it will enable convenient maritime transportation for island residents, including seafood transport and vehicle loading, serving as a foundation for revitalizing the local economy." He added, "We will actively provide the necessary financial support to ensure stable maritime mobility rights by deploying a large passenger ship to Baengnyeongdo."

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