In September the port of Busan, South Korea, will open a new cruise terminal to complement the current facility – Yeongdo[ds_preview] Cruise Pier, opened in 2007 – to accommodate larger vessels. The new terminal is located in the re-developed area of Busan Old Port, has excellent connections to central Busan and is directly connected to the bullet train station. This facility will take cruise ships up to 130,000 gt and has 360m of quay length with 12 m of water depth. The new terminal facility is a six-story building with total area of 93,932m2. Busan Port Authority (BPA) has announced further plans to extend the new facility by adding an additional 75m of quay in order to accommodate vessels up to 200,000 gt. The extension will be operational by 2018. In the interim, Gammam Pier – an existing container berth – will be made available for the larger cruise ships.
The cruise developments at Busan port are fully supported by the Korean government which has recently re-confirmed its commitment to developing the nation as a cruise hub and marine tourism destination. Plans include constructing additional cruise terminals nationwide to enhance facilities from the current three terminals to nine by 2020. In addition, the government will support initiatives to promote the Korean cruise industry, attract more passengers and port calls and offer support to the domestic cruise industry, including state owned cruise carriers. The port of Busan has seen cruise passenger throughput increase 28 fold since 2004 and cruise ship calls grow by a factor of six. Busan is expecting to welcome 280,000 passengers and 135 cruise ships in 2015.
