The Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port will have a new passenger wharf built under its roof from 2014 that will have four berths.  As a result, faster travel by sea to China will be made possible with more convenience.  The Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port has not been without inconveniences, such as its long waiting lines for the customs taking three to four hours, its lack of necessary facilities, and the antiquatedness of its structure.  On the other hand, demand from passengers to use the Port has been increasing dramatically.

The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs of Korea (MLTM, Minister: Do-youp Kwon) announced that it decided to pursue a BTO project of constructing a new passenger wharf at the Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port in order to minimize such inconveniences and proactively respond to the rising demand for additional routes by an ever increasing number of passengers.

* BTO (Build-Transfer-Operation): it is a method where as soon as the concerned SOC facility is completed in its construction, its ownership is transferred to the State, and for a set period of time, a business operator will be given a right to run the facility to derive profits.

Currently, at the Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port, car ferries are in operation with four regions in China (Rongcheng, Lianyun, Weihai, and Rizhao).  However, the existing international passenger wharf with two berths is lacking in its necessary facilities and it also has a problem of being in need of renovation, leading ship companies and passengers alike to have difficulties in using it.

In particular, according to the schedule of ship operations at the Port, every Thursday is a time where ships from three routes are supposed to approach the port simultaneously, but it has only two berths, making it impossible to employ normal ways to approach the port.

Also, the interior space of the passenger terminal is too narrow, and the CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine) facilities are lacking in its quantities, causing delays in the customs for arrivals and departures by three to four hours, and the port users have been encountering a number of other difficulties.

There has been a surge of demand at the Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port by passengers.  In addition, two new routes to China (Yantai and Shidao) are under consideration.  Therefore, there is clearly a need for a new wharf.

<Passenger and freight transfer data for the recent five years>

The MLTM plans to solicit an operator for the project for both its construction and operation from July this year, after consulting this idea with a private investment council at the Ministry of Strategy and Finance of Korea and announcing this plan officially as a Basic Plan for the Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port International Passenger Wharf Project.  An agreement for the project is expected to be signed in the second half of 2013, so that by 2014 it actual construction will be commenced.

By constructing a new international passenger wharf at the Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port, the inconveniences that plagued both the passengers and ship companies will be minimized.  Plus, a markedly increased number of international passengers and cargos will be able to use the Port with expediency.  All these developments will contribute to the financial soundness of the Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port and its regional economy.