ID :
198777
Tue, 08/02/2011 - 15:12
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/198777
The shortlink copeid
WIG craft service to improve travelers' access to Ulleung Island
BUSAN, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- Access to Ulleung, an island near South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, will become faster and more convenient next year with the launch of a private transport company's flying boat service, government and company officials said Tuesday.
Hanil Express, a Busan-based shipping firm, has submitted a business plan to link Ulleung, a popular tourist destination for Koreans, to Busan, the nation's largest port, via two 50-ton wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) vessels, officials said.
WIG vessels, also known as flying boats, are designed to float above the surface of water by a few meters.
Ulleung Island, located 90 kilometers west of Dokdo in the East Sea, has made headlines in local and foreign newspapers this week as Korean immigration officials at a Seoul airport denied entry on Monday to ultra-right Japanese lawmakers vowing to visit the East Sea island to lay claim to Dokdo.
The new flying ship service, if launched next year, would cut travel time from Busan to Ulleung to one hour and 50 minutes, the officials said. At present, travelers can only sail to Ulleung from three closer east coast ports via express ferry, a trip that takes about three hours.
South Korea's maritime authority said Tuesday it is considering opening a route in the East Sea for WIG vessels next year to provide greater shipping access to Ulleung Island via Busan.
The Busan Regional Maritime Affairs and Port Office said it will conditionally allow local shipping companies to sail WIG vessels as early as next August.
With a top speed of 97 knots per hour, the flying ships can carry large volumes over great distances and consume less fuel than airplanes, according to industry sources.
To operate WIG craft, local companies will be required to obtain licenses from the government by securing at least two ships and building piers designed to accommodate the special vessels, the office said.
The move comes shortly after South Korea denied entry to three conservative Japanese lawmakers seeking to visit Ulleung, which Seoul saw as an attempt to reassert Tokyo's territorial claims to the cluster of rocky outcroppings.
Dokdo, which lies closer to South Korea in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, has long been a thorn in relations between the two countries. South Korea keeps a small police detachment on the islets, effectively controlling them.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
Hanil Express, a Busan-based shipping firm, has submitted a business plan to link Ulleung, a popular tourist destination for Koreans, to Busan, the nation's largest port, via two 50-ton wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) vessels, officials said.
WIG vessels, also known as flying boats, are designed to float above the surface of water by a few meters.
Ulleung Island, located 90 kilometers west of Dokdo in the East Sea, has made headlines in local and foreign newspapers this week as Korean immigration officials at a Seoul airport denied entry on Monday to ultra-right Japanese lawmakers vowing to visit the East Sea island to lay claim to Dokdo.
The new flying ship service, if launched next year, would cut travel time from Busan to Ulleung to one hour and 50 minutes, the officials said. At present, travelers can only sail to Ulleung from three closer east coast ports via express ferry, a trip that takes about three hours.
South Korea's maritime authority said Tuesday it is considering opening a route in the East Sea for WIG vessels next year to provide greater shipping access to Ulleung Island via Busan.
The Busan Regional Maritime Affairs and Port Office said it will conditionally allow local shipping companies to sail WIG vessels as early as next August.
With a top speed of 97 knots per hour, the flying ships can carry large volumes over great distances and consume less fuel than airplanes, according to industry sources.
To operate WIG craft, local companies will be required to obtain licenses from the government by securing at least two ships and building piers designed to accommodate the special vessels, the office said.
The move comes shortly after South Korea denied entry to three conservative Japanese lawmakers seeking to visit Ulleung, which Seoul saw as an attempt to reassert Tokyo's territorial claims to the cluster of rocky outcroppings.
Dokdo, which lies closer to South Korea in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, has long been a thorn in relations between the two countries. South Korea keeps a small police detachment on the islets, effectively controlling them.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
