Premier Jiang Yi-huah today announced plans to revamp the Port of Keelung and relocate the Wharf No. 5 naval pier and a cargo zone from the port's east bank to the west.
At a press conference hosted by Port of Keelung authorities, the premier explained that the west bank will serve as a dedicated port for the military and a cargo port for the free economic pilot zone in Keelung, while the vacated east bank will be redeveloped into a new and multifunctional commercial area stretching to the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology downtown.
"The facelift will reinvigorate the harbor and bring prosperity to Keelung City," Jiang said.
As a port city, Keelung's development is dependent on the Port of Keelung, and the jobs and industries created by the harbor have been key to the city's prosperity. Initially managed by Japanese colonialists, the port was later turned over to the ROC government and further developed into a modern facility. From the 1960s to the 1980s, the port boasted tremendous growth, at one time becoming the seventh-largest container port in the world.
In recent times, however, the port's container throughput has dwindled due to shifting trends in global transportation. And because of a smaller hinterland, the port's cargo processing functions have gradually been taken over by the newer Port of Taipei.
Although Keelung harbor's global ranking has declined since the 1990s, Taiwan's tourism and services industries have been flourishing. If the harbor does not change with the times, Keelung will miss out on an important opportunity for development, Jiang said.
"As a native of Keelung, I have been thinking of how to revive the port city in an all-around way. For over two decades, the port has been unable to develop fully because its east side has been divided into a naval pier and a container shipping zone. This is why I would like to move the two facilities to the west side.
"As we look toward the future, the entire focus and landscape of Keelung can be changed. Jobs will be created and new industries will appear. We will see a very different Keelung City."
Premier Jiang indicated that he will instruct the Ministry of the Interior and the Keelung City Government to work closely together on the military base relocation, as well as to complete the urban renewal projects under the support and oversight of legislators.
He will also direct the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to shorten the planning stage to one year and to complete the relocation within three years after the plan's approval. Central and local authorities must work together in order to restore Keelung to its former glory, the premier reiterated.