First land-island passenger route to open in Lushunkou

A ship berths at Lushun Port in Dalian, Northeast China’s Liaoning province. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_b114addbb84f]

A passenger route connecting Lushunkou district in Dalian, Northeast China’s Liaoning province, and Changdao county in Yantai, East China’s Shandong province, recently won approval from the Ministry of Transport.

It will be the first land-island passenger route in Lushun Port, and is scheduled to start operations in 2020.

A 430-seat passenger ship will be built specially for the new route, with an investment of 50 million yuan ($7.81 million). The designed speed will be 17 knots, with total travel time of four hours.

A ship prepares to load cargo at Lushun Port in Dalian, Northeast China’s Liaoning province. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_b114addbb84f]

Changdao county consists of 32 islands, scattered from south to north in the dividing area between the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea. The shortest distance from the county to Lushunkou is 38.3 kilometres.

At present, local residents going to Lushunkou have to travel south to Yantai city then take a ship. 

The county boasts rich seafood and tourism resources. The new route is expected to significantly cut transport costs between the county and Northeast China, promoting trade between the areas.

In recent years, Lushun Port has put much emphasis on the development of new routes, opening four passenger and cargo routes to Tianjin and Penglai, Dongying and Longkou in Shandong province. The throughput of the port is increasing by 30 percent every year.