Tsugaru Kaikyō Ferry


The Tsugaru Kaikyō Ferry is a privately owned ferry service crossing the Tsugaru Strait, which separates Hokkaido from Honshu. The ferries run two routes: Hakodate to Aomori and Hakodate to Ōma.

Routes

Hakodate—Aomori

This route links the Port of Hakodate in Hakodate, Hokkaido with the Port of Aomori in Aomori. A trip takes three hours and twenty minutes one way, and is operated by four ships: the Blue Mermaid, Blue Dolphin, Blue Dolphin 2, and Blue Happiness. Each ship makes two rounds trips a day. With the conversion of the Seikan Tunnel from convention trains into the Hokkaido Shinkansen, this route has seen a resurgence in ridership as the cheaper alternative.

Hakodate—Ōma

This route links Hakodate with the Port of Ōma in Ōma, Aomori. National Routes 279 and 338 run along this route as well. A trip takes ninety minutes one way, and is operated by the Daikanmaru with two round trips a day.

History

Since 1965, the Higashi Nihon Ferry was the primary operator of passenger ferries across the Tsugaru Strait. Aside from the current routes, the Higashi Nihon Ferry also operated a wide network connecting Muroran, Tomakomai, and Iwanai to the north; Sendai, Hachinohe, Ōarai, and Jōetsu to the south; and Busan, South Korea. However, these lines proved to be less and less profitable and closed one after another.
Meanwhile, the Dōnan Jidōsha Ferry was founded in 1972 as a ro-ro cargo service between Hakodate and Aomori. In October 2000, Dōnan Jidōsha Ferry began operating passenger services with a newly built ship, the Esan 2000. In November 2008, Higashi Nihon Ferry suspended its Hakodate—Aomori, Hakodate—Ōma, and Muroran—Aomori services and sold three ships to Dōnan Jidōsha Ferry. Dōnan Jidōsha Ferry, however, chose not to operate the Muroran—Aomori route. On November 1, 2009, Higashi Nihon Ferry was merged into Dōnan Jidōsha Ferry, and the resulting company was renamed as Tsugaru Kaikyō Ferry.