The Haixia ship's Pingtan-Taichung route, the Chinese mainland's first direct high-speed route to Taiwan, finished 310 one-way trips in 2012, according to the Fujian Haixia High-Speed Passenger RORO Shipping Company, the ship's mother company.

The ship has transported 106,478 cross-Straits passengers since its virgin trip last November, including 25,207 passengers from Taiwan, chinanews.com reported on Dec 31.

The direct sea route from Pingtan to Taiwan has become an ideal travel route for cross-Straits citizens, promoting tourism on both sides. The Haixia ship transported 1,254 mainland tour groups and 791 Taiwan tour groups last year.

According to the company, the Jiayuan ship, also known as the Natchan Rera, will begin operations this year. It made its trial voyage to Taipei last November to mark the Haixia's first anniversary. Its expected passenger volume will reach 400,000 in 2013.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Michael Thai