"Incheon port will not have trouble meeting its target of handling 3 million TEU of containers this year to become the 50th leading container port in the world,” said President Nam Bong-hyun of the Incheon Port Authority (IPA) on the occasion to celebrate the IPA’s 12th anniversary.
The port so far took care of 1,466,000 TEU of containers in the first half of this year, despite China’s retaliatory measures against Korea’s self-defense THAAD system that reduced Chinese container vessels docking at the port. The figures represent an 18.5 percent boost YoY, signaling that President Nam’s prediction may not have been an exaggeration.
President Nam also unveiled the IPA’s vision to make the Incheon port a harbor not overshadowed by other Asian ports like Singapore and Hong Kong not only in terms of logistics, but also as a center for marine tourism in the areas surrounding the port.
IPA has been working on a plan to secure 3.5 million TEU of containers in 2020 and 2.5 million passengers and secure 3 trillion won in foreign investments to build a multiple resort around the cruise terminal, which will be completed around the end of next year. IPA will also hold an international bidding for the development of the Golden Harbor Project in the backyard of the Incheon Port, the Songdo International Business District.
So far, some 670 billion won has been spent on leveling the site for the Golden Harbor Project, which involves the construction of marine leisure facilities including hotel, condos, shopping malls and convention centers for not only the passengers arriving on international cruisers, but also for residents in the Seoul area so they can enjoy the marine tourism culture.
President Nam, who assumed the post early this year, has been doing a very good job of untying the port’s plans one by one, saying that many jobs will be created when the port recovers its normalcy in operation, spurring the local economy.
The Incheon Port Authority is developing an international ocean tourism complex called the Golden Harbor, with the aim of attracting 3 million annual tourists in 2018. The first-stage work on the new international passenger terminal kicked off on April 29. The facilities will be built northwest of the Songdo International City.
The Golden Harbor development will comprise a new international passenger wharf, terminal, and harbor hinterland complex at Incheon port. The project includes a multiple international tourism complex allowing both domestic and foreign tourists to enjoy tourism, culture and leisure, and logistics facilities at a new international passenger terminal and new international passenger wharf, which will have an exclusive harbor for international cruisers. IPA plunked down some 43.5 billion won for the first stage of the project, which will include the construction of roads, multiple facilities for the new international harbor, portable water facilities and other basic facilities for the new harbor.
The IPA also plans to complete the design for the second stage project, including hotels and condos around the harbor so that the project can be kicked off in the second half of this year, with the completion of the project slated for April 2018.
The budget allocated to the project will be funded by the government, the IPA, and private investment.
The IPA plans to begin construction of the international passenger terminal and infrastructure at the end of this year. The IPA will start construction on the upper infrastructure in April and on a new international passenger terminal in October, according to the announcement. Also, it will push to attract investment in Golden Harbor. In addition, the IPA said it will make the Golden Harbor site a marine tourism complex for both citizens and tourists and a landmark in Incheon by building various facilities, including hotels, Urban Entertainment Center (UEC), a water park, condominiums, resortels and a marina, as well as a complex shopping mall and a complex resort, creating its new growth engine in the Incheon Port.
_인천신항만 전경.jpg)
