TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The passenger ship Natchan Rera (麗娜輪) will sail from Tainan’s Anping Harbor to the outlying island county of Penghu from Nov. 20–22 in a trial run before operating the route in the near future, according to a press release from the city’s Tourism and Travel Bureau.
In addition to regular passengers, several travel agencies have been invited to participate in the three-day trip with the hope that they will come up with tour packages to make the route a choice for vacationers wishing to visit both Tainan and Penghu.
The Natchan Rera can travel up to 84 kilometers per hour and takes about two hours to sail between Anping and Penghu. The ship can carry 800 passengers, 350 cars, and even trucks and tour buses, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) said in the release. He added that the passenger ship will serve transportation as well as tourism purposes and that it will be used to transport Tainan's agricultural produce to be sold.
Tainan Tourism and Travel Bureau Director-General Kuo Chen-hui (郭貞慧) said both Tainan and Penghu will benefit from the new route. The price for the voyage between the two destinations has not yet been decided.