President Choi Jun-wook of Incheon Port Authority gives his New Year’s message, posted on-line on Jan. 4, in he disclised a plan to raise container cargo volumes to 3.45 million TEUs this year.

President Choi Jun-wook of Incheon Port Authority came up with a plan to raise container cargo volumes to 3.45 million TEUs this year and expand maritime logistics service employing advanced smart technologies.

In his New Year’s message posted on-line on Jan. 4, he announced the plan and others.

He skipped additional New Year’s gatherings in accordance with social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. He called for IPA to do its best to ramp up disinfection against the pandemic and win-win partnership this year.

President Choi also stressed that IPA aims to expand attraction of intermediate good exports bounding for China and new maritime routes, diversify maritime routes, explore large-sized shippers and raise efficiency of port operation to achieve the 2021 container cargo target to 3.45 million TEU.

He asked for IPA to lay infrastructure to attract value-added cargoes by building e-commerce deals and a cold chain logistics cluster and develop maritime tourism content using the surroundings of the cruise terminal, a waterfront park and International Ferry to prepare for the resumption of the marine tourism industry.

President Choi demanded for the employment of advanced technologies such as big data and AI to offer innovative and safety maritime logistics services to Incheon port customers as well as cope with rising cargo volumes and passengers by supplying first and second phase berths of Incheon New Port timely to comply with the government’s Korean New Deal policies.

Besides, he said IPA will push ahead with first and eighth port redevelopment projects through communication and cooperation with stakeholder and local communities and strive to bear tangible outcomes by advancing investment conditions through cooperation with related organizations to attract investments into “Golden Harbor.”

President Choi pledged to ramp up responsibility toward safety and environment by taking steps to reduce port’s fine dust and other environment segments to a perspective of investing the future, not that of costs and implementing leading and sustainable environment policies.

A view of Incheon New Port. (Photos: IPA)

IPA Finalizes 2021 Major Business Tasks

IPA finalized major business tasks for the 2021 to strengthen the competitiveness of Incheon Port.

Last year, Incheon Port had established itself as the nation’s No. 2 container cargo port as the port saw cargo volumes rise to China and Vietnam which were restored comparably earlier despite stark outside and inside trade business conditions, caused by COVID-19 pandemic.

First, IPA set the 2021 container cargo volume target at 3.45 million TEUs.

It plans to secure value-added cargo volumes such as e-commerce transactions and cold and cooling cargoes connected with attracting new maritime routes and the supply of Incheon Port’s specialized backwater complex, and building a “smart auto valley,” and a joint smart logistics center.