Passenger volume this year aims to exceed 400,000; Straits High-Speed to launch themed tours in mid-July

▲ Straits High-Speed Shipping expects passenger volume to reach 400,000 this year. (Photo / Reporter Lin Jieling)

Reporter Lin Jieling / Pingtan

Fujian Straits High-Speed Shipping has provided passenger and freight services between Taichung Port and Pingtan Port since November 2011, and added a route to Taipei Port in October 2013. Wang Yiyin, deputy general manager of the Taiwan branch, stated that under the policy plan allowing vehicles from Taiwan to enter Fujian, both passenger and freight volumes are expected to grow further. She estimated that cumulative passenger volume will surpass 400,000 this year. She also noted that with the growth in passenger traffic, themed tours will be launched in collaboration with affiliated travel agencies in mid-July.

Wang Yiyin pointed out that Pingtan is a relatively large area, and transportation can be inconvenient for independent travelers. Therefore, the company will consolidate scattered groups into tour groups or regular tour groups. In particular, the company not only operates Fujian Straits High-Speed Tourism Co., Ltd., which handles group tour arrangements, but also Fujian Straits Tourism Transport Co., Ltd., which manages transportation services. The latter has over 20 buses and 60 taxis, providing a solid foundation for developing package tours.

▲ Dong Bin, general manager of Straits High-Speed Shipping (left), and Wang Yiyin, deputy general manager of the Taiwan branch, are optimistic about the business opportunities brought by vehicles entering Fujian from Taiwan, and will also launch themed tours in mid-July. Aside from pilgrimage groups, passenger traffic is also expected to attract more business and leisure travelers. (Photo / Reporter Lin Jieling)

Pingtan hosts distinctive events every year such as the kite festival and round-the-island marathon. During the summer, the coastline also features the beautiful natural phenomenon known as "blue tears." To enrich travel itineraries, visitors can also explore nearby cities like Xiamen and Fuzhou, or take a high-speed train from Putian to Huangshan, which takes about four hours.

Peng Yuping, captain of the vessel operations management department, also noted that the Bay of Biscay, Cape of Good Hope, and Taiwan Strait are known in the maritime industry as the "three most turbulent regions." In these areas, vessels with insufficient tonnage face relatively higher risks. The Straits ferry was primarily built by an Australian shipyard at a cost of about 100 million euros and launched in 2002. It originally operated around small islands in the U.S. and Canada but was later sold due to low usage rates following the financial crisis.

▲ Peng Yuping, captain of the vessel operations management department at Straits High-Speed Shipping, believes that the Taiwan Strait is the third roughest sea area in the world, after the Bay of Biscay and the Cape of Good Hope. (Photo / Reporter Lin Jieling)

He emphasized that the vessel is one of the world’s fastest all-aluminum catamaran wave-piercing high-speed roll-on/roll-off passenger ferries, capable of carrying 260 cars and 760 passengers. Straits High-Speed estimates that current monthly average passenger and freight occupancy is around 60%. Previously, 70% of passengers on this route were from mainland China, and 30% were from Taiwan, but now the ratio has evened out to 50-50. In the future, aside from pilgrimage groups requiring sedan chairs, the company aims to target business travelers and Taiwanese tourists.

▲ The Straits ferry is one of the world’s fastest all-aluminum catamaran wave-piercing high-speed vessels, capable of carrying 260 cars and 760 passengers. (Photo / Reporter Lin Jieling)