Taiheiyō Ferry


The Taiheiyō Ferry is a privately-owned cruiseferry operator connecting Nagoya, Sendai, and Tomakomai in Japan. It is a subsidiary of the Nagoya-based Meitetsu Group, a group of companies that focuses primarily on rail transport in the Chūkyō metropolitan area.

History

The Taiheiyō Ferry was first founded as the Taiheiyō Enkai Ferry in 1970, operating a line between Nagoya and Ōita City with the Arkas, with a stop at Nachikatsuura, Wakayama added in May 3rd, 1975. The current route between Nagoya, Sendai, and Tomakomai soon began in 1973.
In 1982, the Meitetsu Group acquired the Taiheiyō Enkai Ferry and renamed it to its current name.

Routes

The Taiheiyō Ferry operates a single regular route between Nagoya, Sendai, and Tomakomai. Ships operate every day between Sendai and Tomakomai, and every other day between Nagoya and Sendai. Out of the three ships the company operates, only the Kiso and Ishikari stop at Nagoya. The company also operates seasonal routes to Ise Bay, Kōchi, Okinawa, and the Bonin Islands.

Fleet

Current fleet

The Taiheiyō Ferry has operated a total of twelve ships, three of which are in operation: the Kiso, Ishikari, and Kitakami, which are named after the Kiso, Ishikari, and Kitakami rivers, respectively. The names are chosen to represent each region that the ferry serves.
All ships can carry a certain number of cars as well as passengers. Additionally, all ships are equipped with dining rooms and rooms for lodging.
ShipBuiltBuilderGross TonageLengthWidthPassengersVehiclesImage
Kiso July 2004Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Shimonoseki Shipyard		15,795 tons199.9 m27.0 m800 people113 passenger cars
188 trucks
Ishikari March 2011Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Shimonoseki Shipyard		15,762 tons199.9 m27.0 m783 people100 passenger cars
189 trucks
Kitakami January 2019Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Shimonoseki Shipyard		13,694 tons192.5 m27.0 m535 people146 passenger cars
166 trucks

Former fleet

Incidents

During the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, the Kitakami was moored at Sendai. The Kitakami managed to escape to sea before the ensuing tsunami, but Taiheiyō Ferry's terminal was heavily damaged along with the rest of the Port of Sendai. 123 cars belonging to the company and most of the equipment on shore were lost. Regular services to Sendai resumed on June 5th, and repairs to the terminal building were completed on July 8th.