TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Ferry service between Keelung and the Japanese island of Ishigaki will start May 28, reports said Wednesday.
The cheapest ticket, on sale from May 15, will cost NT$2,000 (US$63) for a one-way trip, excluding tax, per CNA. The ship plying the route will be the 21,688-ton Yaima Maru.
Wagon Group planned to launch the service to the Japanese island last December, but work on the ship took longer than expected. The company said it will hold a launch ceremony at Keelung Port on May 28, with the first sailing expected to depart between 11 p.m. and midnight.
The Yaima Maru has 493 beds across 122 cabins, with prices ranging from NT$2,000 in low season or NT$2,800 in high season to NT$10,500 for a top suite in high season. All prices are for one-way journeys and do not include tax.
During the trial operation period from May 28 to the end of June, there will be one sailing per week in each direction. The ship will leave Keelung on Thursdays at 11 p.m. and arrive in Ishigaki at 8 a.m. local time the following day. The return journey starts in Ishigaki on Sundays at 9 p.m., with the ship docking in Keelung on Mondays at 8 a.m.
Starting in July, there will be a second sailing each week, leaving Taiwan on Tuesday evenings, Wagon Group said. The Yaima Maru will be able to ferry 545 passengers, 70 vehicles, and 90 containers.
