VLADIVOSTOK, May 15. /TASS/. Japan has developed a project of a new ferry link between Niigata and the Russian ports of Vladivostok and Zarubino in the Primorye Territory on Russia’s Pacific coast, according to a presentation held by a Japanese company on Friday.
The ferry is designed to transport both tourists and cargoes, including cars and auto spare parts. The ferry travel will cost half the price of an air flight, the Japanese company International Maritime Traffic Niigata said.
The distance between Niigata and Vladivostok is about 860 kilometers (534 miles) while Niigata and Tokyo have a distance of about 300 km (186 miles).
"Taking this into account, we consider a schedule, which would allow travelers to board a Shinkansen [high-speed] train in Tokyo in the morning, arrive in Niigata, then switch to the ferry and arrive in Vladivostok by lunch next day," International Maritime Traffic Niigata Director Igarashi Sumio said.
"Our schedule gives Japanese citizens a possibility to stay in Primorye for 72 hours and then return to Niigata aboard the ferry and on the same day come back to Tokyo by a Shinkansen train. Sumio said.
The possibility of opening a ferry line between the South Korean port of Pohang and Russia’s Primorye Territory was earlier reported by South Korea.