According to information from the Ha Long Bay - Yen Tu World Heritage Management Board, based on the policy of developing tourist boats operating in Bai Tu Long Bay and the consensus of inter-sectoral agencies, the Department of Construction of Quang Ninh City has agreed to propose assigning Thien Viet Green Technology Tourism Joint Stock Company to invest in building new overnight accommodation boats using Hybrid dynamic technology, combined with electricity and clean fuel.
The ship has a steel hull, a scale of 46 rooms, a carrying capacity of 90-120 passengers, a total investment of about 600 billion VND from the enterprise's capital, and is expected to be put into operation in 2027.
A noteworthy point is that Hybrid power technology is chosen in the direction of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, limiting noise, vibration and environmental impact during operation.
This technology has been practically applied in the Russian Federation and is expected to be deployed in Vietnam for the first time for overnight cruise ships.
The ship is also expected to be integrated with a software system for management and operation, with maritime warning, weather, data connection and sharing features, thereby supporting ship exploitation and providing data for state management.
The selection of Bai Tu Long Bay as the project implementation area aims to add new tourism products, while contributing to reorganizing the tourism space and reducing pressure on Ha Long Bay.
The above shipbuilding project is also part of the roadmap to implement the Project "Protecting, exploiting, and promoting the value of Ha Long Bay - Yen Tu World Heritage Site, associated with Bai Tu Long Bay".
According to the Project, by 2030, 100% of tourist boats operating in Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay will be steel-hulled or equivalent material boats, and at the same time pilot the electric tourist boat system; by 2035, 100% of traffic activities in the World Heritage area of Ha Long Bay - Yen Tu and Bai Tu Long Bay will be green traffic.
In this roadmap, Hybrid ships can become a practical model to assess technology, operating methods and exploitation efficiency before considering the possibility of wider application.
In particular, with the characteristics of overnight accommodation ships with large electricity demand and long operating hours, the actual operation process will provide an additional basis for assessing energy consumption, investment efficiency, operating costs as well as technical infrastructure requirements.
Businesses are also requested to continue to research synchronous infrastructure for operation, including charging stations; assess the investment and operation efficiency between Hybrid ships and traditional ships of the same scale, and at the same time study the possibility of conversion and conversion to electric propulsion for operating tourist ships.
