Hiromi Yamashiro, the president of Ryukuy Kaiun Co. (Ryukyu Maritime Transportation Co.) announced that the company has decided to start a regular sea route between Naha and Takao in Taiwan from May 2014.

Ryukyu Kaiun Co. already runs a regular sea route Hakata – Kagoshima – Naha – Miyako – Ishigaki, and the extension of the route to Taiwan would strengthen the company’s presence in the far-east Asian market.

Yamashiro says Asia will lead the world-wide markets from now on. “We can take advantage of Japan’s location and benefit much from the booming Asian market activity,” Yamashiro says. He added that the company plans to use a high-speed roll-on roll-off type ship on the planned Taiwan route, not the usual container carrier. The high speed roll-on roll-off type ship carries its cargo loaded on vehicles or trailers and that makes it easy and fast to load and unload, and that’s why it could cut the transportation time significantly. In this way cargo could arrive at Taiwan in only one and half day from Naha.

In the long run the company is aiming to expand its Asian routes to destinations like Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore, and other major cities in Asia.

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