“For 2018, we are expecting more than 70 foreign ships calling, which is 28 percent more compared to last season,” said Yutaka Yasunaga, senior vice president of marketing for the Yokohama Kawasaki International Port Corporation. 

A new facility for cruise ships will be ready in April at the Daikoku terminal in addition to the new Shinko terminal with commercial facilities and a hotel, which will be ready late next year.

The expansion will also see the cruise berth lengthened along with dredging to accommodate larger ships.

A second construction phase for the Daikoku terminal will expand it further, allowing two megaships to berth by 2023.

In addition, there are further plans to redevelop the port’s Yamashita pier.

The port can handle four large ships concurrently, with a 30 minute transfer time to Haneda airport.

Among the challenges are congestion during the peak season, and the air draft limitations posed by the Yokohama Bay Bridge.

By 2021 Yokohama is hoping to have a bunkering solution in place for LNG, said Yasunaga.