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Sea route reopens linking ports in Sakhalin and Hokkaido

An ocean route connecting the town of Korsakov in Sakhalin, Russia, with Wakkanai, Hokkaido, began shuttling passengers between the port towns again on Aug. 1. Operated by Sakhalin Shipping Co. (SASCO), the journey takes about 4 hours and 30 minutes one way, about an hour shorter than the voyage that was offered by a large cargo passenger ship until the end of 2015. SASCO is running the newly acquired Penguin 33 catamaran on the route. The 270-ton vessel features two aluminum hulls that each measure 27 meters in length. It can carry 80 passengers and reach a speed of 27 knots (50 kph). However, SASCO said that some voyages on the Penguin 33 could be postponed or canceled if waves 2.5 meters or higher are observed because the catamaran is much smaller than the ship that previously connected the two ports. http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201608120012.html