A scene from a tape-cutting ceremony to open the new Passenger Terminal for cruisers in Incheon Harbour on April 26 led by Minister Moon Seong-hyuk of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and other dignitaries from the maritime industry and related organizations. (Photo: IPA)

The new International Passenger Terminal in Incheon Port is slated to open on April 26 with a cruise ship berth capacity large enough for the world’s largest cruise ships, including Royal Caribbean Oasis-class 6,370-passenger ship (plus 2,400 crew.)

The length of its berth stretches for 430m and the depth is as deep as 12m. The new cruiser terminal is part of the Golden Harbor Project designed to develop an international tourism complex in Songdo, an area next to Incheon Harbor. The Costa Serena, a large cruiser of 114,000 ton-class with 2,700 passengers, will set sail from the new cruise terminal following the opening ceremony.

Chief Kim Young-kook of the Passenger Terminal Business Team of the Incheon Port Authority, said the new cruise terminal can be compared to the Miami, Florida cruise terminal, which is the “capital” of the world’s cruise shipping business.

The cruise ship berth capacity is built large and strong enough to accommodate a cruiser as large as the 225,000 ton-class Royal Caribbean Oasis-class, the largest in operation so far in the world.

Seven of the world’s largest cruise firms have headquarters in Miami with the terminal large enough to service from three to four ships daily, earning more than 10 trillion won annually.

“We cannot project an annual earnings from the new cruise terminal, but it sure is comparable to the Miami’s cruise terminal in terms of hardware and the capacity of its berth.” said the team chief. Such major cruise terminals as those in Los Angeles, Rome, Barcelona and Shanghai can provide berths to the 225,000 tons-class cruisers.

The new terminal has been built without luxurious facilities, with the total space of its two-storey terminal building extending to around 7,364 sq. m. The arrival office is on the ground floor and the out-passenger office located on the second floor.

The out-going passenger office can handle as many as 1,500 passengers per hour and the movable gangway, imported for the first time in Korea, can be raised to as high as 13 m. It helps passengers board ships. The gangway has to be ready at the terminal due to a 10 m difference in the rise and fall of the sea tides.

The new Incheon Cruiser Terminal joins other terminals in the country already in operation, such as Busan, Jeju, Yeosu Gwangyang and Sokcho.

Via a joint venture company, the Korean government built a new cruise terminal in Incheon Port (in Songdo Business District). The new International Passenger Terminal is an $580 million investment.

The new cruise terminal is part of Incheon Port Authority’s plan for developing an international tourism complex (named “Golden Harbor”) that targets a market (including passenger shipping) of around 3 million per year. Construction started on April 29, 2016.Terminal building’s construction started in October 2016. Works on the new cruise ship terminal started in October 2018, with scheduled completion in April 2019.

The Golden Harbor project comprises a new docking wharf, passenger terminal building (with logistics facilities) and harbor leisure complex. The facility allows numerous culture and leisure activities, plus an exclusive area for international cruise passengers. Project’s 1st stage included construction of transport networks (roads) and facilities for the new harbor.

2nd stage included construction of hotels and condos around the cruise harbor, completed in April 2018. Project’s budget was funded by the Korean government, Incheon Port Authority and also by private investors.