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Beetle (ビートル, Bītoru) was a high-speed ferry service that travelled between Fukuoka, Japan and Busan, South Korea. It was operated by JR Kyushu Jet Ferry, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu).
The service was operated by hydrofoil ferries, the Boeing 929 Jetfoil, from its establishment in 1990. These hydrofoil ferries were later replaced by new trimaran ferries, the Queen Beetle (クイーンビートル, Kuīn Bītoru), built by Australian manufacturer Austal. The Queen Beetle first entered service in 2022, providing domestic trips between Okinoshima and Fukuoka during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] In November 2022 Queen Beetle started service on the Fukuoka to Busan route, while the older Beetle ferries were retired.[2]
- ^ "クイーンビートル 3/20（土）21（日）27（土）に沖ノ島遊覧コースを運航します" (pdf) (Press release) (in Japanese). JR Kyushu Jet Ferry. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- ^ "Ferry service between Japan, South Korea resumes after halt due to COVID". Kyodo News. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2024.