Kushiro Port has developed into
the distribution hub of eastern Hokkaido. Materials for Kushiro's
mainstay industries, including paper manufacturing and agriculture,
are imported in large quantities through Kushiro Port from the
U.S.A, the Russian Far East, East/Southeast Asia and Australia.
Finished products are then distributed via Kushiro Port to elsewhere
in Japan by container ship and roll-on roll-off ships. Kushiro
Port has approximately 100 regular ship services a month.
In Japan, establishment of port and harbor networks for an era
of large-scale global exchange is being sought through improvement
of competitiveness in port and harbor functions for international
container shipping and consolidation of domestic distribution
infrastructure to promote international transportation. A regional
international distribution port , Kushiro Port has been regarded
by the National Government as a distribution port subject to concentrated
investment to promote port and harbor improvements with high investment
efficiency.
Kushiro Port, which is not hindered due to ice in the winter season,
is located on the shortest North American route, and in the world's
Northern regions and the Circum-Pacific Ocean zone. Given these
facts, Kushiro Port is expected to contribute to Japan's further
development as an ocean gateway to the world.
The Kushiro Port is a logistical base for industries in eastern
Hokkaido. The Kushiro River divides the port into east and west
ports.
consists primarily of a new fishing wharf in the Subport zone,
the backbone of Kushiro port's fishery support capabilities. The
south wharf is used for shipping high-quality offshore coal from
mines of Taiheiyo Coal mining Co.,Ltd. The central and north wharves
handle miscellaneous cargo.
This is
Nusamai Bridge,which most citizens of Kushiro associate with as
the symbol of the city.
It is from the outskirts of this bridge that fishing boats come
and go,and with the support of Kushiro Port, the surrounding streets
and area have become one of the main tourist attractions in Kushiro.
includes three wharves, each with a max water depth of 12 meters
at the quaywall. A variety of large machinery is in use there,
including that for unloading grain into silos and conveyors for
transporting woodchips to the woodchip yard. Among the range of
vessels served by the west port are international trade ships
carrying grain and woodchips, vessels specially designed to carry
fresh milk daily from local dairy farms to the Tokyo metropolitan
area, and scheduled services for transporting paper, pulp products,
transport equipments, and petroleum products.
An active participant in foreign trade, Kushiro port has a
sister-port relationship with Seward and New Orleans, both ports
in the U.S. Many Kushiro residents love the jazz bands who come
from New Orleans to perform during the port festival.
In Oct.1998, the City of Kushiro signed a friendship agreement
with Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskij, Russia.
******New Orleans *********Seward******** Petropavlovsk Kamchatskij***