In the Russian Far East, Vladivostok conducted a partial turnaround for the Costa neoRomantica earlier this week that saw 169 Russian guests disembark, while 160 guests boarded the ship for a Jewels of the Far East itinerary that started on May 26 in Yokohama.

The cruise is set to finish in Tokyo on June 9.

The next opportunity for Russian passengers to take a cruise from Vladivostok will be in September on the Spectrum of the Seas which will sail from Shanghai through Vladivostok with port stops in Maizuru (Kyoto) and Fukuoka.

According to a statement from the port, the Russian source market contributed 78,000 cruise passengers in 2018, up 35 percent year-over-year.

In 2020 the port expects three partial turnarounds in June from Costa, with itineraries sailing from Japan and including Japanese and South Korean ports. 

It is not the first time Vladivostok hosted turnaround calls, having hosted passenger vessels in the 1990s run by local companies. 

“Also there is huge potential for fly and cruise and drive and cruise operations for Vladivostok for North Eastern Chinese provinces (Heilongjiang and Jilin) which have the population of about 70 million but no ports,” the port said, in a statement.

Vladivostok Sea Terminal has begun expanding a border check point to expand space for immigration control and enhance services for turnaround passengers.