- Port of Muroran, Hokkaido, will cease handling container and multi-purpose vessels from April 2025.
- The port will shift to support offshore wind farms as Japan expands renewable energy projects.
Port of Muroran, located on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, will stop handling container and multi-purpose vessels from April, reports Container News.
Focus on offshore wind
Muroran port said in an announcement that it wants to strengthen its functions as a base port for offshore wind farms, as Japan pivots towards renewable energy. The announcement came after municipal officials from the Economic Construction Committee of the City Council held a meeting in mid-December 2024.
The port operator plans to sell the Muroran’s only gantry crane at Sakimori Wharf to Satsumasendai port in Kagoshima prefecture in the southern Japanese island of Kyushu.
The transaction is expected to be closed by the end of the current fiscal year, which ends on 31 March, after which container ships will no longer call at Muroran.
Sakimori Wharf will accelerate the development of a pre-assembly and shipping base for offshore wind farm components, and Jutsu Wharf will be prepared to become a development base for floating offshore wind power generation.
Liner services impact and redevelopment plans
Muroran’s Sakimori container and multipurpose cargo terminal, situated in southern Hokkaido, will be redeveloped into an offshore supply base, as Japan wants to develop wind energy, according to Alphaliner. Muroran’s municipal authorities will acquire the land now occupied by the port.
According to Alphaliner, the only liner operators that so far provide sailings to Muroran are South Korean feeder operators Namsung Shipping and KMTC Line, which typically call with 1,100 TEU ships.
So far, Muroran is served by the two carriers’ joint JPS1/ BJS loop, which connects Japanese ports such as Hakata, Kanazawa, Kushiro, Muroran, Tomakomai, Sapporo and Akita to the South Korean hub of Busan.
KMTC Line also serves Muroran with some of its semi-regular regional shuttles, which are also centred on Busan.
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Source: Container News
