Otaru City, Industrial Port and Harbor Development Department

１．About Otaru Port◎ Th e Otaru Port, located in Western Hokkaido, is a highly-functional port with great accessibility (close to JR station and highways)
Vanino◆Location

Kholmsk•

In Western Hokkaido•

Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the port
condition is always great

Korsakov

Vladivostok

Otaru
Port

◆Overview

Nakhodka•Long known for its quality hauls of salmon andherring, it developed as a relay port in the early
Meiji Period (coal and supplies to mainland).

•Opened in 1899 , designated as an important portin 1951.

•Celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2019.

•Still plays a role as a logistics hub for Hokkaido,
given its close proximity to ports in the Russian
Far-East.

◎Distance to Each Location
Country

RussiaHarborDistance

Korsakov

420km

Kholmsk

450km

Vanino660km

Nakhodka

700km

Vladivostok

780km◆Features
P i er 3

Katsunai Pier

Large Cruise Ship Mooring•

Avg. temp during the cruise season (APR-OCT): 16℃.

•Avg. wind speed: 2.7m/s.

•

Close to downtown and tourist destinations.

•Great accessibility. Close to JR station and directaccess to highway.

◆Cruise Ship Quay①

Pier 3: Can quay cruise ships up to 50K ton class②

Katsunai Pier: Can quay cruise ships up to 130K ton class(as of 2021)

２．The Otaru Port and Cruise Ships: Track Record◎ Th e Port is surrounded by rich tourism resources, and is a popular stop for cruise ships

 Accommodated an average of 25 cruise ships per year in the last 10 years
 The most was in 2014 with 41 ships. From this year the number of foreign vessels and large cruise ships startedto visit more.
 Typically, cruise ships visiting the Otaru Port comes from the Yokohama Port via the Aomori Port or theHakodate Port.
 Cruise ships leaving the Otaru Port for Russia typically head to the Russian Far-East, such as Korsakov,
Vladivostok, and Kamchatka.

# of Ships Visited Has experience accommodating cruise ships on the Arctic Ocean route.
Ｆｉｇ.1 Ｃｒｕｉｓｅ Ships
Visitation50

Total # of Visitations

40

41

30
20
100161720# of Foreign Vessel
Visitations

3120

1925
1025
14 1521291697532201 201 201 201 201 201 201 201 201 201 202 202012345678901720194120252521290023573110141591600Visitations

No visits in 2020 & 2021 due to Covid-19

Fig. 2 Large Cruise Ships
Visiting the Otaru Port
L ’Austral （October ‘14 ）1Total # of Visitations 16# of Foreign Vessel

Diamond Princess (July ‘18)

Fig. 3 Ship Returning to the Otaru Port
Af ter the Arctic Route３．Features of Cruise with the Otaru Port◎Th e Otaru Port enables cruises with a diverse transportation mix, allowing a tour rich with tourism resources Has great airport access and capable of supply replenishment. Many cruise ships have done a turnaround at theOtaru Port.
 70 mins from Airport to the Otaru Port. Since it passes through Hokkaido’s main city Sapporo, your tour caninclude a tour of Sapporo.
 Direct access to Highway; Cruises targeting residents of central Hokkaido are planned.
 Hokkaido Shinkansen (bullet train) will be extended at the end of 2030, enabling more diverse cruise logistics,and tours including rich tourism resources of Sapporo and surrounding areas.
Fig. 2 Loading Food onto
Foreign Vessel

Fig. 1 Airport Access
Day-trip zone from the Otaru Port
2.5 hours one-way

Asahikawa

BieiOtaru PortFurano
SapporoTrans-Hokkaido Highway
Completed up to Kucchan

S h in Otaru(p r ov.)
Shin Chitose Airport

Oshamanbe

KucchanToya
Noboribetsu

Shin Yakumo(prov.)

Local train
Bullet train
Highway

Shin Hakodate Hokuto

Bullet train (in construction)
Highway (in construction)

Hakodate

Shin-Chitose Airport to Otaru
70 mins. By train

Fig. 3 Parked Tour Bus(Katsunai Pier)

ロス トラル（H26年10月）

４．Efforts by the Otaru Port to Increase Stops by Cruise Ships◎Th e Otaru Port, in collaboration with the public and private sector, makes efforts to accommodate more cruise ships

 Pan-Japan Sea Cruise Promotion Council: Consists of ports in 5 regions (Otaru, Fushiki Toyama, Kyoto
Maizuru, 3 ports in Akita, and Sakaiminato). 5 regions collaborate to invite key personnel of foreign cruise
operators, to show them firsthand the ports, tourist destinations, and attractions.
 Otaru Port Cruise Promotion Council: Consists of 24 organizations (regional economic organizations andtourism-related businesses. Conducts PR events and welcome events to increase stops by cruise ships.

1) Hosting Foreign Cruise Operators

2) PR Activity in Tokyo

3) Tour guiding by volunteers

4) Food stalls at the wharf

5) Farewell event

6) Farewell event

５．Development of the Otaru Port Pier 3◎Otaru Port Pier 3 has undergone major development to accommodate large cruise ships and to bring vibrancy to the area

[Challenges]
 Foreign cruise ships increasing in size; moredemand from these vessels.
 Many want to berth at Pier 3 given its
proximity to downtown and tourist spots, but
only 50K ton class can be acommodated.
 Pier 3 does not have sufficient parking spacefor large tour buses.

◎Solution
・Must step up to accept large vessels
・Pier 3 and surroundings requiredevelopment

 Improve Pier 3 berthing area toaccommodate 130K ton class cruise ships
 Develop mooring facilities to accept 140K
ton class cruise ships
 Refurbish existing warehouse and use it as a
cruise ship terminal Build parking for large tour buses
 Build a park and tourism & commercialfacilities around the port

Development Plan: Pier 3 and Surroundings
Dolphin for 140K ton
class cruise ships】[Terminal]
Refurbishwarehouse[Berth 13 &14]
Accommodate
50K ton classcruise ships【[Berth 16 &17]
Accommodate
130K tonclass cruiseships

ロス トラル（H26年10月）

Large tourbusparking
Tour vessel
area

Privateparking
Park including
Event Squareむ* Draft Plan from FY24 to FY25

Tourism/commercial
facilities

５．Development of the Otaru Port Pier 3
Image of Pier 3 andSurroundings

Cruise Ship
Terminal
Large Cruise
Ship Berths
Tour Vessel
Terminal

ロス トラル（H26年10月）
Private Parking
Private Parking

Small Boat Zone
(Tour Vessels)

Park
Incl. Event Square

Tourism/Commercial
Facilities*Draft Plan from FY24 to FY25