Huis Ten Bosch subsidiary HTB Cruise announced on Jan. 11 that it has abandoned efforts to resume its Nagasaki-Shanghai passenger service. The company said will explore resuming cargo service, but there is no definite timeline.
Since its launch last February, the Nagasaki-Shanghai route struggled to attract passengers. The number of Chinese passengers plummeted after the relations with Japan soured amid the Senkaku Islands dispute, and cruises have been suspended since Oct. 10. The cruise service launched with high hopes for promoting tourism in Nagasaki and the greater Kyushu region, but it only carried 7,814 passengers in the 50 trips taken between last February and October, making for an average capacity of about 30%. Racking up 1.1 billion yen in red ink as of August 2012, the HTB Cruise’s Shanghai shipping unit has pared its staff down from 24 to three. Nagasaki Prefecture, which invested 734 million yen in port improvement and promotional measures, has indicated a strong desire to have the route restarted in the future.
HTB Cruise will lease its 720-berth cruise liner, Ocean Rose, to a foreign company for three years starting in February. It will be remodeled and put into service in Southeast Asia. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun Jan. 12
