The Voyager of the Seas sits alongside Daikoku Pier in Yokohama Port, with Yokohama Bay Bridge in the background.
YOKOHAMA, Japan: Some new large cruise ships are too tall to pass under the Yokohama Bay Bridge, and the Yokohama city government is concerned about problems this may cause at the port.
The city government, which manages Yokohama Port, is considering using Honmoku Pier, just outside the inner harbor, to accommodate such ships. The pier is normally used for cargo.
Sources in the city government and other entities said this week that the city government has begun negotiations with the company managing the pier.
The Yokohama Bay Bridge is a notable Yokohama landmark, and stands about 55m (about 180 feet) above the water.
When it opened in 1989 it was built to be high enough for the Queen Elizabeth 2 at 70,327 tonnes — one of the world’s largest ships — to pass under it. Cruise ships up to about 100,000 tonnes can pass under the bridge, depending on the tide.
However, in recent years, cruise ships have become larger. Until now, cruise ships unable to pass under the bridge were accommodated at the city-owned Daikoku Pier, located beyond the bridge. But the pier is far from the city centre and has proved unpopular among shipping companies and tourists.
Early Wednesday morning, the Voyager of the Seas, the largest cruise ship on Asian routes, arrived in Yokohama Port for the first time. The 137,276-tonne ship carries about 2,300 passengers.
The economic impact from visits by foreign cruise ships are huge.
This has caused the Yokohama city government to look at a jetty at Honmoku Pier — closer to the city centre — normally used for cargo containers.
The city government decided to negotiate with Yokohama Port Corp, a Naka Ward, Yokohama-based company managing the pier. The city government is one of the company shareholders.
There are issues to be addressed to bring about the plan, such as whether it is possible to accommodate both cruise ships and cargo ships.
A company official said, “We’ll carefully discuss the issue with the city government.”
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