Taiwan Is Preparing Piers for Two Giant Cruise Ships at Once

Taiwan’s cruise market is growing fast, and its ports are being rebuilt to match. By the end of July, passenger volumes had passed 800,000, up 22 percent from a year earlier, according to Cruise Industry News. Keelung hosted three ships at once for the first time in seven years, and the port saw inaugural calls from the Ritz-Carlton’s Luminara and AIDAdiva, while Kaohsiung welcomed MSC Bellissima for her homeport debut.

The next phase is physical. Penghu International Cruise Terminal is due to open in early 2027 and can take ships up to 150,000 tons. Keelung will begin a phased redevelopment of its East Cruise Terminal and surrounding waterfront that will eventually let it berth two ships of up to 250,000 tons simultaneously. High-capacity shore power is under construction at both Keelung and Kaohsiung and is planned to come online next year.

Passenger experience is getting attention as well. Terminal signage is in traditional Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean, with barrier-free design, nursing rooms and family spaces, and screens showing real-time rail and bus schedules. Automated e-Gate immigration lanes opened to all foreign cruise passengers in June, with 12 lanes in Keelung and eight in Kaohsiung. Taiwan International Ports Corporation plans an AI-powered customer service system and smart crowd monitoring.

Forecasts point to 305 cruise calls in the coming season, with port calls projected to grow 7 percent and passenger volumes 4.3 percent over last year. Taiwan is shifting to a two-tier model that combines homeport operations with transit-port calls, and the ports corporation has built tiered itineraries, such as port and city tours, matched to ship schedules and passenger preferences.

Sources: Cruise Industry News