The ports of Kaohsiung and Busan signed a sister port agreement in a ceremony on 29 August at the headquarters of the Busan Port Authority (BPA) in South Korea.
Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC) vice president & Port of Kaohsiung CEO Chin-jung Wang and BPA vice president Ja-Rim Koo signed the deal, which was witnessed by TIPC chairman Hsien-yi Lee, BPA president Joon-Suk Kang, and Taipei Mission in Korea (Busan Office) director Cheng-kai Kuo.
TIPC chairman Lee said the new sister port connection between Kaohsiung and Busan is an important step forward in bilateral friendship. Looking ahead, he highlighted his hope for further exchanges and collaboration between the two ports enhancing mutual development and prosperity.
Currently, the Port of Kaohsiung has sister port ties with 17 ports in 12 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Canada, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, China and Poland. The agreement with Busan is its first in South Korea.
TIPC signed memorandums of understanding in 2018 and 2019 with the Busan International Cruise Institute (BICI) and the Busan Port Authority, committing the signatories to share cruise-industry experience, strategies, resources, and customers, and laying the groundwork for the development of a trans-Asian cruise travel sector.
Notably, TIPC's port-fee reduction incentives introduced this year have effectively enticed foreign cruise line business to Taiwan's ports, boosting cruise ship calls to all-time highs at the Port of Kaohsiung.
In addition to Resorts World One's normal home port operations at the Port of Kaohsiung, Costa Serena will begin home port operations between the Port of Kaohsiung and Japan in late September.
Also, TIPC-invested Tiaya International penned a letter of intent with BPA in March of this year, committing the parties to cooperate in exploring potential new investment opportunities in Southeast Asia. Current efforts are focused on container wharf and yard & warehouse logistics facility development opportunities at major ports in Indonesia, according to a statement.
