| The Port of Hakata is a new port at Fukuoka City on the southwestern coast of Japan on Kyushu Island. The City of Fukuoka administers the Port of Hakata and manages and develops the port. Port History This natural harbor has long been a central point in trade with China. The Port of Hakata is closer to Seoul, Korea, than it is to Tokyo. It was the landing point for the Mongol invasion of Japan in the 12th Century. Today's Fukuoka City was formed in 1889 when the port city of Hakata and the castle town of Fukuoka were merged. Hakata is still the name of the city's central district. Port Commerce The Port of Hakata contains an international terminal of almost 1.2 hectares with seven general cargo sheds of over 1.6 hectares, a freight sorting yard of 5,666 square meters, and an open storage of over 6.5 hectares. This state-of-the-art terminal at Kashii Park Port can handle 60-ton container vessels. The site handles over 400 thousand TEUs of containerized cargo every year. The Island City container terminal covers over 17 hectares, 329 meters of berths at 14 meters depth and can store 9,600 TEUs of containerized cargo. The Port of Hakata's Suzaki Wharf functions as a grain distribution point for growing imports of foods. Hakata Pier is the terminal for domestic and municipal ferry services. Covering an area of over 79 reclaimed hectares, Higashihama Wharf can handle over 3 million tons of cargo including construction materials and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports primarily from Malaysia. The Pork of Hakata's Aratsu area distributes over 4.5 million tons of petroleum and heavy oil to the Fukuoka metropolitan area and Kyushu. Chuo Wharf houses the International Passenger Terminal and a large-scale exhibition hall. Covering almost 49 hectares, it can handle cargo of just under a million tons including automobiles, agricultural products, pulp and paper, and marine products. Hakozaki Wharf is the largest wharf in the Port of Hakata with direct access to expressways, airport, and railway. Covering over reclaimed 260 hectares, it can handle over 6 million tons of cargo including automobiles and transportation machinery, steel products, and wheat. The wharf includes over 2000 square meters of general cargo shed and two fruit and vegetable sheds of almost 1.2 hectares. It also contains a 4.0 thousand square meters freight sorting yard, 38 hectares of open storage yard, a multi-story facility for storing automobiles, and a 7.3-hectare timber pond. In 2006, the Port of Hakata handled a record of over 700 thousand TEUs of international seaborne containers. While most exports were up by over 44% from 2005, automobile exports increased almost 127%. The top five imports for 2006 were animal/plant feed and fertilizers, wheat, furniture, corn, and vegetables and fruits. The top five exports were rubber products, recycled materials, automobiles, industrial machinery, and chemicals. Cruising and Travel The Port of Hakata also marked a record number of international passengers in 2006, when over 750 thousand passengers (over 60% Korean) passed through the port. The Port of Hakata has been the busiest passenger port in Japan since 1993. They will also find Fukuoka City, which is the western gateway to Japan, an interesting and entertaining destination. Tourists will find historic sites, festivals, and gourmet dining in the city. Outside the city are resorts and regional historic and amusement attractions. |
