The Port of Incheon lies at the mouth of the Han River about 40 kilometers west-southwest of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. South Korea's third largest city, the Port of Incheon is Seoul's main seaport and the site of the country's main international airport. Located almost 70 nautical miles southeast of the Port of Haeju in North Korea, the Port of Incheon is just over 30 kilometers south of the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas. It is also about 190 kilometers north of the Port of Gunsan. In 2005, more than 2.5 million people lived in the Port of Incheon.

Traditionally an industrial city, the Port of Incheon has the status equal to a province. It is a metropolitan city under the direct control of the national government, although it is considered part of the Seoul metropolitan area. The Port of Incheon's industries include chemicals, salt, manufacturing, lumber, oil refining, iron and steel production, plate-glass making, and high technology. The 21st Century Port of Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) was created on reclaimed land and included a new planned high-tech city, Songdo. The IFEZ covers almost 21 thousand hectares and includes three regions: Songdo, Cheongna, and Yeongjong Island.

Archeological evidence suggests that humans have lived in the area of the Port of Incheon since the New Stone Age. The first written record of the Port of Incheon dates to 475 AD during King Jangsu's reign when it was called Michuhol.

After the unification of the Three Kingdoms, the future Port of Incheon was renamed Soseong. In the 11th Century, King Sukjong's maternal family came from the Port of Incheon area, and the king granted higher status to the city, naming it Gyeongwon. The Port of Incheon area was further promoted by King Injong in the 12th Century and renamed Inju. However, a rebellion seriously weakened the family's status, and it was demoted by King Gongyang in 1390. From the late 14th Century, the Port of Incheon was a fishing port.

The Port of Incheon got its current name in 1413 AD during the reign of King Taejong. Located on an estuary of the Han River, its location made a good harbor. Over the centuries, the city underwent several name changes. By the time the modern port was established in 1883, it was called Jemulpo, and less than five thousand people lived there.

In 1883, the Port of Incheon became one of three treaty ports under the Ganghwa Treaty (also called the Japan-Korea Treaty of Amity), and it began to develop as an international commercial port. Japan occupied Korea and the Port of Incheon in 1910, and held it until the end of World War II in 1945. During the war, a Japanese POW camp was located at the Port of Incheon. During Japanese occupation, Port of Incheon facilities and industries were developed, and the Japanese constructed tidal basins to surmount the extreme tidal variations.

In 1948, the United States released the Port of Incheon from American military administration, and the Incheon Maritime Affairs Department of the Bureau of Transportation took over management of the Port of Incheon.

In 1950, United Nations forces landed at the Port of Incheon, effectively stopping an invasion by North Korea in the Battle of Incheon. Today, a large statue of General Douglas MacArthur overlooks the port to commemorate that event.

In 1955, the Incheon Regional Maritime Affairs Office was established to manage the Port of Incheon, and in 1961, the Incheon Maritime Affairs Department of the Bureau of Transportation was created.

The Port of Incheon was granted Metropolitan Status in 1981, giving the central government direct control of the city. In 2008, the Incheon Regional Maritime Affairs and Port Office was established under the Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs to operate and manage the Port of Incheon.

The Incheon Regional Maritime Affairs and Port Office is the port authority for the Port of Incheon and two other coastal ports in Yeonpyeongdo and Yonggipo. The port authority is responsible for constructing, managing, and operating the ports; maintaining the order of marine traffic; preserving the marine environment, and administering navigation aids.

The Port of Incheon is the gateway for South Korea's largest economic region, Gyeongin. It plays a vital role in the economic growth of the region, and the Port of Incheon is a major employer in the metropolitan area.

From June 2008 to June 2009, the Port of Incheon served almost 21.3 thousand vessels, including 11.8 thousand coastal vessels and 9.5 thousand ocean-going vessels. The Port of Incheon handled a total of more than 142.7 million tons of cargo, including 44.8 million tons of coastal cargo and almost 97.9 million tons of ocean-going cargo. Included in the total was 26.8 million tons of containerized cargo in over 1.6 million TEUs.

The single most dominant ocean-going cargo handled in the Port of Incheon in the 2008-2009 season was petroleum and other gases (almost 23 million tons). Other major cargo categories carried by ocean-going vessels in the Port of Incheon included bituminous coal (9.2 million tons), grain (6 million tons), animal and vegetable products (3.1 million tons), ores other than iron (3.8 million tons), petroleum products (2.4 million tons), wood (2.4 million tons), anthracite (1.9 million tons), crude oil (1.9 million tons), beverages and alcohol (1.8 million tons), chemical products (1.5 million tons), and sugar (1.2 million tons). Port of Incheon ocean-borne cargoes in volumes less than one million tons included leather and leather goods, plastic and rubber products, fish and shellfish, fertilizers, cement, fat, industry milling products, natural sand, meat, and iron ores.

During the same period from June 2008 to June 2009, the Port of Incheon handled coastal cargoes of over 44.8 million tons. The dominant coastal cargo category handled by the Port of Incheon was natural sand (over 20.9 million tons). The Port of Incheon also handled coastal cargoes of petroleum products (12.1 million tons), crude oil (3.8 million tons), cement (3.6 million tons), and ores other than iron (1.1 million tons). Coastal cargoes in volumes less than one million tons included petroleum and other gases, chemical products, fish and shellfish, beverages and alcohol, iron ores, animal and vegetable products, and fertilizers.

There are three anchorages in the Port of Incheon for vessels waiting to enter port, and there are 25 anchorages inside the Port of Incheon. The depth ranges from 2.5 to 20 meters, and ships up to 100 thousand DWT can berth there. Inbound vessels arriving at the Port of Incheon use the east waterway (Dongsudo), and outbound vessels use the west waterway (Seosudo).

The Port of Incheon's North Port is an industrial port with several industrial complexes. By 2011, it will contain 17 berths that can accommodate vessels to 50 thousand DWT. The North Port specializes in handling raw materials for industry like timber, scrap iron, and feed byproducts.

The Oil Dolphin in the North Port can accommodate one vessel of each of the following DWT: 20,000, 50,000, 60,000, 75,000 and 100,000. The berths have depths from 4.5 to 26 meters, and the Port of Incheon Oil Dolphin offers open storage of 1.7 thousand square meters. The Korea Electric Power Company dolphin handles oils at a 240-meter long berth with alongside depth of 10 meters that can accommodate a 20-thousand DWT vessel.

The Incheon Oil Refinery Company uses three dolphins in the Port of Incheon's North Port. Dolphin 1 is 240 meters long with alongside depth of 16 meters, and it can accommodate one 75-thousand DWT vessel carrying crude or refined oil. Dolphin 2 is 390 meters long with alongside depth of 15 meters. Handling one vessel of 60 thousand DWT, dolphin 2 in the Port of Incheon handles refined oil and chemicals. Dolphin 3 is 485 meters long with alongside depth of 15 meters, and it can accommodate one 100-thousand ton vessel carrying crude and refined oils.

The Port of Incheon's North Port also contains the Korean Air Dolphin, specializing in handling oil cargoes. The quay is 316 meters long with alongside depth of 17 meters, and it can accommodate one 50-thousand DWT vessel. The Port of Incheon's Dongbu Multi-purpose Pier has berths for three 50-thousand DWT vessels at its 849-meter long quay with alongside depth of 14 meters.

Specializing in handling iron cargoes, the Port of Incheon's Hyundai-Steel Pier in the North Port is 560 meters long with alongside depth of 14 meters, and it can accommodate two 50-thousand DWT vessels. The Dongkuk-Steel Iron Pier in the Port of Incheon also handles iron, and the quay is 270 meters long with alongside depth of 14 meters. It can accommodate one 50-thousand DWT vessel. Finally, the North Port in the Port of Incheon contains the Lumber Pier which can accommodate two 20-thousand DWT vessels at its 450-meter long quay with alongside depth of 11 meters.

The Port of Incheon's Inner Port contains Piers 1, 2, and 3 to handle a variety of cargoes like steel, feed byproducts, logs, and general goods. Pier 1 has a 1.8 kilometer quay with alongside depths from 8.2 to 11.8 meters. It contains ten berths that can accommodate vessels to 50 thousand DWT. Pier 1 has loading capacity for 4.6 million tons of cargo per year, and it contains 155.3 thousand square meters of open storage and sheds totaling more than 11.2 thousand square meters.

Pier 2 in the Port of Incheon's Inner Port has an almost 1.3 kilometer quay with alongside depths from 8.7 to 11.2 meters. Pier 2 has seven berths for vessels to 30 thousand DWT. The pier contains sheds covering almost 53.3 thousand square meters and 75.9 thousand square meters of open storage. The Port of Incheon's Pier 2 in the Inner Port has loading capacity for over 4.2 million tons of cargo per year.

The Inner Port in the Port of Incheon also contains Pier 3 with 1.2 kilometers of quay with alongside depths from 8.3 to 11.4 meters and seven berths for vessels to 20 thousand DWT. With loading capacity for 3.3 million tons of cargo per year, Pier 3 includes almost 10 thousand square meters of sheds and over 57.6 thousand square meters of open storage.

Constructed by private funding to handle containers, Pier 4 in the Port of Incheon's North Port is equipped with the latest cargo-handling equipment. Cargoes passing through Pier 4 include containers, grain, cars, and general goods. Pier 4 in the Port of Incheon boasts over 1.1 kilometers of quay with alongside depths from 11 to 11.5 meters. The quay has five berths that can accommodate one vessel of 50-thousand, 40-thousand, 30-thousand, 20-thousand, and 10-thousand DWT, respectively. Pier 4 has loading capacity for almost 8.2 million tons of cargo, and it has 305.5 thousand square meters of open storage.

The Port of Incheon's Pier 5 is used exclusively for vehicles. Its 1.1 kilometer quay has a depth of 12.5 meters, and it contains four berths that can each handle a 50-thousand DWT vessel. Pier 5 in the Port of Incheon has loading capacity for more than 3.9 million tons of cargo per year. It includes almost 4.5 thousand square meters of shed and over 177.7 thousand square meters of open storage.

Located near Wolmido Civil Park, the North Port's Pier 6 handles dust- and pollutant-free cargoes. Its quay is over one kilometer long, and it has alongside depths from 7.5 to 12.5 meters. The quay has five berths that can accommodate vessels to 50 thousand DWT, and it has loading capacity for 4.4 million tons of cargo per year and 103.5 thousand square meters of open storage in the Port of Incheon.

Pier 7 in the North Port handles some 30% of the grains imported by the Port of Incheon. Its more than 1.4 kilometer quay can accommodate four 50-thousand DWT vessels at the same time. With alongside depths from 4.0 to 4.3 meters, the pier is equipped with six unloaders and belt conveyors, and a 450-thousand ton capacity silo is attached to the pier. The Port of Incheon's Pier 7 has annual loading capacity for almost 4.8 million tons of cargo, and it has more than 8.3 thousand square meters of open storage.

Also in the Port of Incheon's North Port, Pier 8 can berth three 50-thousand DWT vessels at the same time at its 910-meter long quay with alongside depth of 11.5 meters. Its three berths have loading capacity for more than 3.6 million tons of cargo per year, it is has over 12.1 thousand square meters of sheds and 11.2 thousand square meters of open storage.

The Port of Incheon International Passenger Terminal 1 opened in the North Port in 2000. The terminal has state-of-the-art equipment and processing that makes customs and immigration processes quick and easy. Next to the passenger terminal is a public ocean square and parking lot where residents and visitors can gather. The Port of Incheon's Coastal Passenger Pier opened in 1995. It is used by 17 ships from 13 routes.

The South Port in the Port of Incheon caters to small- and medium-sized vessels, particularly coastal cargo ships. The South Port is expected to handle inter-Korea cargo upon unification of the two Koreas. The Oil Dolphin at the Port of Incheon's South Port contains 39 berths with alongside depths from 4 to 14 meters, and the berths can accommodate vessels from 500 to 127 thousand DWT. The Oil Dolphin includes more than 1.2 million square meters of open storage.

The Port of Incheon's South Port contains another 20 piers and quays handling a variety of cargoes from chemicals to cement and sand, coal, oil, liquefied petroleum and natural gas, and containers. Handling chemicals, the Han-il Tank Dolphin is 29 meters long with alongside depth of 7 meters, and it can accommodate a three-thousand DWT vessel.

Four Port of Incheon dolphins handle cement, and each of them can accommodate one 10 thousand DWT vessel. The Ssangyongcement Dolphin is 186 meters long with alongside depth of 10 meters. The RH Cement Dolphin and the Dongyang Cement Dolphin are each 188 meters long alongside depth of 9 meters. The Hanil Daewoo Cement Dolphin is 200 meters long.

The South Port Sand Pier in the Port of Incheon specializes in cargoes of sand, and all berths have a depth of four meters. The 465 meter long quay can accommodate five three thousand DWT vessels. The 82 meter long quay can handle one three thousand DWT vessel, and the 375 meter long quay can handle four three thousand DWT and one two thousand DWT vessels.

Also in the Port of Incheon's South Port are several piers handling containers and general cargo. The Young-Jin Pier handles both cargoes, and its 170 meter long quay with alongside depth of 4 meters can accommodate one 10 thousand DWT vessel. Also handling both cargoes, the Korea Express Inc. Pier is 225 meters long with alongside depth of 4 meters, and it can accommodate two 50 thousand DWT vessels.

Handling containers, the Port of Incheon's Sun-Kwang Pier is 407 meters log with alongside depth of 11 meters, and it can accommodate two 18 thousand DWT vessels. The ICT Pier, which can handle two 40 thousand DWT vessels, is 600 meters long with alongside depth of 14 meters.

The Port of Incheon's South Port also contains three International Passenger Terminal piers. Pier 1 is 224 meters long with alongside depth of 7.5 meters, and it can handle one ten thousand DWT vessel. Piers 2 and 3 can each handle one vessel of 15 thousand DWT. Pier 2 is 243 meters long with alongside depth of 9.5 meters, and Pier 3 is 220 meters long with alongside depth of 7.5 meters. The Ferry Pier in the Port of Incheon's South Port is 184 meters long with alongside depth of 7.5 meters, and it can handle one ten thousand DWT vessel.

In the South Port in the Port of Incheon, two dolphins are devoted to handling oil and liquefied petroleum gas. The SK Dolphin, at 340 meters long with alongside depth of 11 meters, can accommodate vessels to 40 thousand DWT. The S-Oil Dolphin is 218 meters long with alongside depth of 11 meters, and it can handle vessels to 20 thousand DWT.

The Coal Pier in the Port of Incheon's South Port handles both coal and oil. Handling vessels to 100 thousand DWT, its quay is 240 meters long. Handling liquefied petroleum gas, the E1 Dolphin is 340 meters long with alongside depth of 14 meters, and it can handle one 55 thousand DWT vessel.

Korea Gas Company uses two dolphins that are each 420 meters long with alongside depth of 14 meters. Handling liquefied natural gas, Dolphin 1 can accommodate one 75 thousand DWT vessel, and Dolphin 2 can handle one 127 thousand DWT vessel.

The Port of Incheon Free Trade Zone has three divisions. In the Inner Port, Piers 1 through 8 cover an area of over 170 hectares and contain 161 lots. The ICT Container Terminal covers almost 24 hectares, and the Pier 4 backyard covers almost 47 hectares and includes 53 lots.

Incheon City is a politically independent city and a near-suburb of South Korea's capital city of Seoul. The Port of Incheon is a major transportation hub for both air and sea travel, and it is home to one of the country's largest harbors and South Korea's main international airport. The city's official flower, the rose, adorns the whole Port of Incheon in summer. Even the subway to Seoul is lined with beautiful roses. While the Port of Incheon is a gateway to Seoul, it is not in itself a major tourist destination. To learn about the attractions and tourism opportunities available in Seoul, please visit the capital city's tourism website.

The Port of Incheon has a humid continental climate that is close to Korea's average. It enjoys four seasons, but the temperature seldom gets too hot or too cold. Northwesterly winds blow in winter, and southwesterly winds gust in the summer. Temperatures range from an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) in August to an average low of -7 °C (20 °F) in January.

The Port of Incheon is home to the only official Chinatown in South Korea. While it was home to merchants from China in the late 1800s, today it is more oriented to tourists and shopping. Located on the main subway line connecting the Port of Incheon to Seoul, the main entrance to Chinatown is immediately in front of the Incheon Subway Station. Houses that combine the Korean and Chinese styles line the streets.

Jayu Park is located next to Chinatown in the Port of Incheon. Its most famous landmark is the huge statue of General Douglas MacArthur. Jayu Park is the first modern Western-style park in South Korea. The park faces the sea and is full of beautiful trees, and it offers magnificent views of the Port of Incheon and the ocean. Aside from the MacArthur statue, the park contains a wide range of large and small sculptures. The Incheon Meteorological Observatory (Korea's first) is located to the right of the park's ridge. The top of Jayu Park, which is reached by the promenade, is a towering bronze modern art piece, a memorial to the hundredth anniversary of relations between South Korea and the United States.

Songdo Old City, or Sondo Yuwonji, is a famous neighborhood in the Port of Incheon. Near the Incheon airport, Sondo Yuwonji is a peaceful, natural setting where visitors enjoy hiking trails, "noname's mountain," and bungee jumping for those who dare.

Travelers who want to visit the Port of Incheon and Seoul by sea can find a list of scheduled cruises on the Cruise Compete website.