Cruise vessels calling at Korean ports expected to surge in 2013

" Club Harmony "

The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs of the Republic of Korea (MLTM) announced that the calls of 24 cruise vessels from 17 countries around the world at major ports in Korea, including the Busan and Jeju ports, will surge in 2013 to reach a total of 379 calls.

By port, the Jeju port will have 191 calls next year, which is a 139% increase from this year's 80 calls, thanks to the increase of Chinese tourists entering Korea.

Incheon Port will have 44 calls next year, which is a 450% increase from this year's 8 calls, while Busan Port will have a similar call volume in 2013 with 126 calls, compared to the 112 calls of 2012.

By shipping company, Costa Cruise of the US will have 103 calls, Royal Caribbean Cruise International of the US, 84 calls, and HNA Cruise of China, 57 calls. The Korean cruise company, Harmony Cruise, will have its ship Club Harmony call at Busan Port 27 times next year.

The MLTM estimated that since the navigation plan of a second Korean cruise, which is set to start its operation in the first half 2013, was not included in this survey, the total  number of cruise vessels calling at Korean ports would exceed 400 in 2013.

Lotus Mine, a Korean shipping company, is planning to launch its 4.1-ton cruise on the Jeju-Shanghai route.

The MLTM is working to create the best possible environment for securing the international competitiveness of Korean cruises, in view of the fact that the Northeast Asian cruise market is expanding, linking Korea, China, and Japan.

In 2012 at a relevant ministers' meeting held on August 7, the ministers agreed to allow foreigner-only casinos on Korean cruises for the purpose of boosting the national economy and enhancing the international competitiveness of Korean cruise vessels.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will soon start its internal discussions on the issue of publicly announcing a notice for requesting applications for onboard cruise casinos.

As a follow-up measure from the ministers' meeting mentioned above, a law allowing onboard cruise businesses to take place only based on the number of foreign passengers of the previous year of operation was eliminated and instead a new law stipulating that a casino business may start its operation at the

same time as its ship's launching was introduced as an amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Tourism Promotion Act (November, 2012).

The Korean government plans to consider legislation for the tentatively titled "Special Act to Support Korean-flagged Cruise Vessels” for the purpose of laying an institutional foundation for systematically developing the Korean cruise industry, while securing the legal coherence among various cruise-related

laws and regulations of the nation.

That a cruise vessel can go back and forth freely between coastal and ocean-going routes based on the Maritime Transport Act, clashes with such laws as the Customs Act, Immigration Control Act, and the Seafarers Act. < Korea Shipping Gazette >