JR Kyushu has sold its high-speed Queen Beetle ferry to PanStar Line.com, a passenger ferry operator based in Busan, following a scandal involving the concealment of hull flooding. The ferry, which operated between Fukuoka and Busan, continued service for over three months despite internal flooding being discovered. JR Kyushu has since withdrawn from the Japan-Korea route after more than 30 years.
The ferry is scheduled to be handed over next month. Though the sale price was not disclosed, JR Kyushu reportedly told the buyer that safety on the original route could not be guaranteed even with hull reinforcements. The ferry is expected to be used on other routes. The former president of JR Kyushu Jet Ferry and seven others were referred to prosecutors earlier this month for allegedly violating maritime transport laws. The subsidiary is set to be dissolved. Source: NHK
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