[Japan] Hakata

International Container Terminal at the Island City: A State-of-the-art International Distribution Hub At the Island City international container terminal , a 14meter-deep berth, one of the largest container berths west of Kobe which can accommodate 60,000-ton-class container ships, has been completed. Furthermore, Kyushu's largest and most efficient container cranes, which can deal with large-sized ships, as well as the nation' s firsts transfer cranes capable of reaching eight containers across are available to improve the operating efficiency of the container yard. In conjunction with the container terminal at Kashii Park Port,the Island City container terminal dealswith the ever-increasing volume of international container cargo, enhancing its function as an international distribution hub.

Hakata Cross Service: Island City provides a domestic/international through-transit service known as the Hakata Cross Service. The service links the Port of Hakata with Shanghai via Shanghai Super Express; Busan via Camellia as well as Tokyo and Okinawa with a network of Ro/Ro services. The Port of Hakata service as a hub not only for container transportation but also for Ro/Ro transportation. Ro/Ro transportation(roll-on/roll-off transportation) A form of transport which allows cargo to be drive on/off vessels with trucks or forklifts. As Ro/Ro vessels require shorter cargo handling time and are less likely to cause damage to cargo, they can even handle large precision machinery and electronics as well as container and odd-shaped cargo.

Operation of the Customs International Freight Inspection Center: Kyushu's first Customs container inspection center equipped with large x-ray inspection apparatus is in operation at Kashii Park Port, located on the opposite bank of Island City, further enhancing distribution functions.

Hakata Port Logistics IT System (HiTS Version 2): At the Port of Hakata, date exchange for inquiries about container status and delivery instructions on import/export activities among port users (shippers, forwarders, land transport operators and port transporters) is available via the internet. The system has the greatly increased the efficiency of logistics activities for port users, enabling the reduction of traffic congestion at the container terminal gate, the realization of paperless procedure by means of electronic date interchange and the prevention of date entry duplications.

Privatization of Public Container Terminals: Based on the law on special zones for structural reform, the public container terminals at the Port of Hakata were privatized on 1st April, 2004. It was the first privatization of its kind in the history of Japan and it is expected to further enhance the efficiency of facility operations and reduce port costs.