Naha (Okinawa Island Japan)

Naha cruise port terminal address is "Tondocho 2-1 Naha, Okinawa, 900-0035 Japan". The facility is managed by the Naha Port Authority.

Cruise ships in Naha dock at Berth 8. The nearest to the cruise port international airport is located approx 4 km (2,5 mi) west of downtown (city hall), or 10-min car drive distance. The nearest train station to the cruise terminal (Kencho-mae) is a 15-minute walk.

Naha Port Second Cruise Berth

On August 29, 2018, Naha Port Authority announced a public tender for building a second cruise ship berth via a public-private project, and all major cruise companies were invited to participate. The target was for Naha to become a homeport destination, also serving fly-cruise programs. The second berth could be operational by 2022. Among the companies that submitted proposals for the project were Royal Caribbean Group, Carnival Corporation, MSC, and GHK (Genting).

The Second Cruise Berth at Naha Port was developed as a response to the rapid growth in cruise-ship size and cruise traffic in Okinawa. Before the project, Naha had one dedicated cruise berth (at Tomari), but that facility could not adequately accommodate larger cruise vessels (170,000+ GT) or multiple large ships arriving at the same time. As a result, larger vessels were sometimes handled at No. 9 berth (in the Shinko Wharf area), which was a cargo berth without a proper infrastructure - passenger terminal, dedicated CIQ facilities, sufficient bus staging space.

In 2016, Naha Port's plan was revised to introduce additional public-port and passenger-ship facilities in the Shinko Wharf area. The Second Cruise Berth was subsequently developed at the Shinko Wharf No. 12 area, with the original concept calling for a berth ~430 m/1411 ft long and 12 m/39 ft deep. The planned reclaimed land was ~1,8-2,1 hectares. The berth was designed specifically for large cruise ships of ~220,000 GT.

Construction of Cruise Berth 2 and associated infrastructure continued through 2020-2021. One of the major construction packages was Phase II of the 12-m quay construction at Shinko Wharf, carried out by Mirai Construction from December 2020 through November 2021. It involved ~110 m/328 ft of quay construction, including the installation of 8 large caissons (each weighing ~1798 tonnes), together with foundation and other marine works. Other caisson and quay packages were also undertaken as part of the wider development. These works formed the structural basis of the 430-m long Berth 2.

In March 2022, the 430-metre, 12-metre-deep Cruise Berth 2 was completed, but it became operational/entered service on February 1st, 2023.

The delay between physical completion and operational opening was due to a wider cruise infrastructure project involving the quay, water area, reclaimed/terminal land and related landside facilities. The land around the new berth had to support passenger and vehicle movements, including buses and taxis.

The early international cruise-hub concept explicitly identified Cruise Berth 2 at the reclaimed land in front of Minatomachi 4-Chome, corresponding to Shinko Wharf's No. 12 and No. 13 areas.

An earlier MLIT project evaluation for the Naha International Cruise Hub Development Project estimated appr~¥11 billion for the particular package evaluated, including ~¥8.1 billion for the 12 metre quay, ¥0.2 billion for dredging, ¥2.2 billion for port land development, and ¥0.4 billion for a passenger terminal. This estimate should not be confused with the later total public-project figures or with the private investment being made by the cruise-line side for the new terminal.

The strategic significance of Naha's Second Cruise Berth is that it solved the fundamental marine-access problem before the final passenger-terminal project was completed. The new berth became the physical platform for the next stage of Naha's cruise strategy: the development of a dedicated international cruise terminal and a more sophisticated cruise-hub operation.

(NEW) Naha Cruise Terminal (2026-2028)

On October 5, 2026, Naha Port Authority, Cruise Port Naha GK, Royal Caribbean Group (RCG), and MSC Cruises (part of MSC Group) officially started the construction of the Naha Cruise Terminal.

The project's developer and terminal operator is Cruise Port Naha G.K., with JV/joint-venture partners CTL Maritime (MSC's subsidiary) and RCL Cruises Ltd (RCG's subsidiary), and the Naha Port Authority serving as the public-sector counterpart/public partner.

The PPP (public-private partnership) agreement was signed on August 28, 2026, with scheduled completion by March 31, 2028.

Target calls are 71 (MSC 40 + RCG 31) for the opening year (2028) and 89 (MSC 50 + RCG 39) by 2032.

Japan designated Naha as an International Cruise Ship Hub Formation Port in 2019, specifically under a model in which public authorities provide port infrastructure while cruise companies invest in passenger facilities and receive preferential berth access.

The Cruise Hub Formation Agreement gives MSC and RCG long-term preferential rights at Cruise Berth 2 for a reservation period of 30 years (2028 through 2058) and preferential use for up to 250 days/year. Other cruise companies can use the terminal during the remaining capacity.

The project is centred on Shinko Wharf No. 12 / 2nd Cruise Berth.

The public side is responsible for the berth/quay infrastructure, port infrastructure, parking/associated port facilities. Cruise Port Naha G.K. is responsible for the passenger terminal building, terminal-related facilities, development, and operation.

Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism lists the broader Naha port project at ¥15.6 billion (total public project cost) with ~¥3.2 billion remaining in the 2024 project evaluation.

Naha's cruise terminal is designed as a genuine homeport/turnaround hub, rather than just another cruise-call facility, with a substantial annual commitment by MSC and Royal Caribbean. MSC explicitly linked the project to both its brands - MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys.