1st International Cruise Ship in 3 Years Docks at New Terminal at Kanazawa Port

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:00 JST, April 16, 2023

KANAZAWA — The cruise ship Amadea, operated by a German company, docked at Kanazawa Port Cruise Terminal in Kanazawa on March 10, the first visit by a foreign cruise ship since the facility opened in 2020.

The 200-meter-long cruise ship, weighing about 29,000 gross tons, called at Kanazawa with about 500 passengers after visiting Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and other cities.

The visit was the first by an international cruise ship at Kanazawa Port in three and half years, following the government’s decision last November to restart accepting international cruise ships following the pandemic. The ship became the first to visit the new terminal, which is located in the port area. A total of 40 domestic and foreign cruise ships are scheduled to call at the port this year, with expectations of bringing economic benefits to the city.

According to the Ishikawa prefectural government, 55 cruise ships called at Kanazawa Port in 2017, the most for the port. However, the pandemic meant there were no visiting ships in 2020, just four in 2021 and six in 2022, with no foreign ships visiting over that time.

“In Ishikawa Prefecture, there are many internationally acclaimed tourism spots,” said Shigekazu Uchida, head of the prefectural commerce, industry and labor department, at the welcome ceremony held at a square in front of the terminal on March 10. “I hope [cruise ship passengers and crews] will fully enjoy staying here.”

The Amadea’s captain expressed his delight at the visit following the pandemic.