“Ferry Zamami 3” starts service

A ceremony to mark the start of service of “Ferry Zamami 3” was held Tuesday at Tomari Port in Naha. The new ferry will ply a route between Zamami Village and Naha.

Participants to the ceremony included Satoru Miyazato, the headman of Zamami Village, who said he was happy to have the new ferry to provide the main public transportation between Zamami Village and the Okinawa main island.

Ferry Zamami 3 is the successor for the first Ferry Zamami that had been in service since 1998. Ferry Zamami 3 is a 669-ton ship that is 71 meters long and can carry up to 490 passengers. The construction cost of the ferry was ¥1.819 billion.

The ship’s interior has plenty of handrails, and it was designed in traditional Yaeyama textile ‘minsa’ pattern and with illustrations of natural scenery. The ferry makes one round trip a day on the route Tomari – Akajima – Zamami and back, taking about two hours to complete the trip one way.

According to Zamami Village Office, number “3” was added to its name because three cannot be divided, and it’s believed to bring good fortune.

Kantipur

04:39 29 Mar , 2024