Ro-ro ferry to link Chinese, ROK cities

China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) will be connected for the first time by a ro-ro passenger ferry that is scheduled to be operational in early July, sources with the ferry's operator said on Tuesday.

The ferry, "Stena Egeria", will link Yantai in east China's Shandong Province with ROK's port city of Pyeongtaek, some 70 km south of Seoul, said Yu Xinjian, board chairman of Yantai Bohai International Ferry Co., Ltd. (YBIFC).

A ro-ro ferry can carry wheeled cargo, such as cars and trucks.

According to the lease agreement the ferry will sail between Yantai and Pyeongtaek three times a week. It will take the vessel 15 hours for a one-way journey of 273 sea miles (506 km).

The 186.5-meter ferry has a gross tonnage of 24,418 tonnes and 518 passenger spaces. With a top speed of 23 knots, it can carry containers of 300 teu (twenty-foot equivalent unit).

"Besides passengers and containers, the ferry can also transport cars and tourist buses between the two cities," said Wang Jianbo of Bohai Ferry Co., Ltd, the parent company of YBIFC.

China and ROK have witnessed fast development of bilateral trade over the past decade. China is the largest trade partner for ROK and trade between the two countries reached 274.25 billion U.S. dollars in 2013, according to the General Administration of Customs.