By YUSUKE NAGANO/ Staff Writer
August 27, 2020 at 15:32 JST
A new terminal that can accommodate the world's largest cruise ships is ready to go, but is still awaiting its first foreign arrival, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Tokyo International Cruise Terminal, set to open in Koto Ward on Sept. 10, was shown to the media in a preview on Aug. 26.
The terminal was scheduled to start operations in July to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics, but its opening was postponed due to the pandemic.
The existing Harumi Passenger Ship Terminal in Chuo Ward also accepts foreign vessels, but large cruise ships are unable to pass beneath the Rainbow Bridge to reach it.
Tokyo shelled out 39 billion yen ($368 million) to build the alternative terminal, which features a 430-meter-long dock, in waters with a depth of 11.5 meters.
The Nippon Maru, a 167-meter cruise ship operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Passenger Line Ltd., currently suspended from operations, docked at the terminal to celebrate the opening.
Foreign cruise ships are not scheduled to stop at the terminal for the time being due to the impact of the pandemic, according to the Tokyo metropolitan government. The terminal will begin operating by first accepting Japanese cruise ships.
New facility at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport mostly empty for debut
March 30, 2020
Wife of man who caught virus on cruise ship calls death needless
August 5, 2020
Virus outbreak on Diamond Princess pivotal in risk awareness
June 24, 2020
Virus-plagued, but still a ship of dreams, says lensman
June 15, 2020
Japan, fearing pathogen, calls on cruise ships to stay away
February 7, 2020
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
The Nippon Maru is docked at the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal in the capital's Koto Ward on Aug. 26, which is scheduled to open on Sept. 10. This photo was taken by a drone. (Takayuki Kakuno)
