Ishigaki and Shosen Yaima suspend the Ishigaki–Keelung ferry from 1 October

Ishigaki City and Shosen Yaima (株式会社商船やいま) said on 18 September 2026 that they will temporarily suspend the international ferry between Ishigaki port and Keelung, in Taiwan, from Thursday, 1 October 2026, in order to put a safe and sustainable operation in place.

The route started on 28 May 2026 and, from July, ran two round trips a week. The notice says that, as of September 2026, cargo handling has not fully started, operating costs, beginning with soaring fuel costs, are above the original assumption, and passenger demand is entering the quiet season. The business as a whole is to be rebuilt, until cargo handling is decided, so that the route can be run in a stable and sustainable way. During the suspension the city and the company will coordinate with the organisations involved, and they will announce a restart date and the future schedule once that is decided. They said they will try to resume as early as they can.