長崎市和上海市明年有固定海上航班

Recently the Yomiuri News reported the following:
長崎市と中国・上海市を結ぶ国際航路が３日、１４年ぶりに復活し、長崎県関係者ら約２００人を乗せた貨客船「オーシャン・ローズ」（３万４１２トン）が長崎港を出発した。
　運航するのは、同県佐世保市の大型リゾート施設ハウステンボス（ＨＴＢ）の子会社・ＨＴＢクルーズ。今回は１往復の試験運航で、２０１２年１月下旬から週２往復の定期便化を目指す。片道２２時間以上かかる予定で、最も安い運賃は食費込みで１万円程度になる見通し。
　船は３日午前１０時１５分頃出港し、４日午後１時（現地時間）に到着予定。出港に先立ち長崎港で行われたセレモニーで、ＨＴＢの沢田秀雄社長は「定期便化する来年は日中国交正常化４０周年に当たる。友好の船にしてもらえればありがたい」とあいさつした。
(試譯文)
The international route connecting Nagasaki and Shanghai in China was revived for the first time in 14 years, and the cargo-passenger ship "Ocean Rose" (30,412 tons) which carried about 200 people who were related to Nagasaki left the Nagasaki harbor on the 3rd.
In operation was the HTB Cruise, the subsidiary of the large-size resort facility Huis Ten Bosch (HTB) in Sasebo of the same prefecture. It was a test operation for a return trip, and would aim at regular service of 2 round trips a week starting from the end of January, 2012. It was expected that it needed 22 hours or more for one way, and the cheapest fare was expected to be about 10,000 yen including food expenses.
The ship would depart at around 10:15 a.m. on the 3rd, and arrive at 1:00 p.m. on the 4th (local time). In the ceremony performed before the departure in the Nagasaki harbor, President Hideo Sawada of HTB greeted "the regularization of service that coincides with the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between Japan and China next year using a ship of friendship with thanks".

Obviously, this sea route could generate more economic ties between the countries. I think more Chinese tourists would visit Japan from Shanghai by sea in future.