Construction of a new cruise terminal at Naha Port in Okinawa, Japan, began on October 2, with project partners expecting it to be completed and enter service by March 2028.
Naha Port Authority, Cruise Port Naha, Royal Caribbean Group and MSC Cruises announced the start of work on October 5. Cruise Port Naha, established by subsidiaries of the two cruise groups, will develop and operate the terminal, while the authority manages the public berth.
The terminal will serve Shinminato Wharf’s No. 12 berth, which began receiving cruise ships in 2023.
The authority’s project plan specifies a 430-metre berth with a depth of 12 metres, designed for 220,000-gross-tonne ships. Vessels up to 230,000 gross tonnes may be accepted following a navigation-safety review.
The planned building will cover 4,000 square metres, with a further 500-square-metre covered curbside area. The facility is intended to handle turnaround cruises with about 6,000 passengers.
Royal Caribbean Group and MSC are to receive preferential use of the berth for up to 250 days annually over a period of up to 30 years.
The authority forecasts 71 calls by the partner lines in 2028, comprising 40 by MSC and 31 by Royal Caribbean Group. Twelve MSC calls are planned as turnaround operations.
The facility is separate from the existing Naha Cruise Terminal at Tomari Wharf, which opened in April 2014. The authority has identified constraints there in passenger processing, bus and taxi parking, and turnaround facilities.
Naha recorded 175 cruise calls in 2024, up from 79 in 2023 following the resumption of cruise visits in January that year. The port handled 260 calls and about 680,000 cruise passengers in 2019, before calls stopped in March 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.