Cross-Straits ferries see passenger growth during holiday

During the past Spring Festival holiday, 775 passengers have taken the ferry between the coastal areas of East China's Fujian province and the outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu of Taiwan, according to local maritime authorities.

The ferry routes, which resumed from Jan 7 to Feb 6 after a suspension of nearly three years in order to facilitate travel during the holiday, were important for residents in the outlying islands to travel across the Straits.

Fujian Maritime Safety Administration said on Saturday that the passenger and cargo transport volume by sea in the province has achieved substantial growth compared with the holiday last year.

In the seven-day Spring Festival holiday that ended on Friday, about one million passengers have traveled by sea in Fujian, with a year-on-year growth of 40 percent, it said.

A total of 6,442 ships entered or departed ports in Fujian, an increase of 21.1 percent year-on-year. The throughput of key energy materials such as electricity, coal, oil and gas reached 4.068 million metric tons, up 72.7 percent.

The ferry route to Gulangyu Island, a famous sightseeing spot in Xiamen of Fujian, saw peak of passenger traffic during this Spring Festival, with more than 140,000 people visiting the island in the first four days of the holiday, according to local authorities.

Maritime authorities in the province said they have strengthened inspection and law enforcement during the holiday to ensure the safe operation of ferries along the coast, and the water traffic safety situation during Spring Festival remained stable.