May 27 marks the one year anniversary of the Natchan Rera, a Taiwan-registered high-speed ro-ro ship that runs between Pingtan and Taiwan, ptnet.cn reports.

The ship operated 230 voyages in the past year, transferring about 66,000 people, and has played a vital role in cross-Straits communications. Currently it has round trips between Taipei and Pingtan on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

“The launch of Natchan Rera makes cross-Straits travel more convenient and offers people more options. Together with the Haixia (another high-speed ship), it has become a reliable source for businessmen and the logistics industry,” said Dong Bin, general manager of the company that owns the Haixia.

Haixia was launched in late Nov, 2011, and operates routes between Pingtan, Taipei and Taichung.

The two ships have made 1,348 trips, transferring more than 360,000 people, including some 104,000 Taiwanese.

The high-speed cruise liner Natchan Rera departed from Taipei's harbor at 11 am on May 27, 2014 and reached Aoqian wharf in Pingtan county after three hours. [Photo by Sun Li/China Daily]