Cruise ship carrying more than 2,300 passengers is about to dock at Cam Ranh International Port.

The Coral Princess, also known as "Coral Princess", operated by Princess Cruises (part of Carnival Corporation & plc, USA), carrying 2,300 passengers, will arrive at Cam Ranh International Port ( Khanh Hoa province) on the morning of October 23, on a voyage along the coast of Vietnam.

It is expected that after docking, tourists will leave the ship within a day to explore Nha Trang City, join countryside tours , etc. In the evening of the same day, Coral Princess will leave Cam Ranh International Port for Hong Kong (China).

The Coral Princess was built in 2002, worth 360 million USD, and was most recently refurbished in 2019. The super ship is more than 294m long, nearly 62m high, has a capacity of about 2,900 people, a tonnage of 91,627GT, launched in January 2003, and is one of the most modern, luxurious and comfortable cruise ships in the world today. Photo: Princess Cruises

Mr. Do Thanh Long - Director of Hai Dang Nha Trang Maritime Agency Co., Ltd., said that the company has sent a ship notice to the authorities of Khanh Hoa province and related parties. Adding that this is one of three international passenger ships that the unit plans to welcome in late 2024.

After the news that Nha Trang Port (Nha Trang City) temporarily stopped receiving international cruise ships from September 20 for repairs, Hai Dang Agency had 7/10 cruise ships in the company's plan to pick up in Nha Trang at the end of the year canceled. According to Mr. Long, Hai Dang Agency coordinated with related units to discuss with Princess Cruises, and this shipping company agreed to let the Coral Princess ship arrive at Cam Ranh International Port, and the travel agency will take tourists to Nha Trang.

Regarding the 7 canceled international cruise ships of Hai Dang Agency with a total of 16,000 passengers, among them are many large ships with a capacity of 4,000 passengers (Quantum Of The Seas), 2,800 passengers (Celebrity Sostice),... In 2025, the list of international cruise ships of this unit is about 37. "Hai Dang Agency hopes that local authorities and relevant parties can find a possible solution for the international cruise ship season in 2025", Mr. Long said.

International passenger ship arriving in Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa in 2023. Photo: Phuc Hau

In 2023, Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa welcomed 23 international cruise ships with over 45,000 visitors. The plan for 2024 is to welcome 44 international cruise ships, and so far has welcomed 27 cruise ships with over 55,500 visitors. Shipping agents and travel companies are concerned that many shipping lines will cancel their visits to Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa at the end of this year and in the following years when Nha Trang Port temporarily stops operations.

Cam Ranh International Port has modern facilities, including 2 wharves that can accommodate passenger ships up to 226,000 GT, convenient for large international ships to dock and anchor. Passengers on board do not have to transfer. The port has also welcomed many large ships such as Legend of The Seas, SuperStar Vigor, Mariner of The Seas, Genting Dream, World Dream, ... in the period 2016-2017.

However, the location of Cam Ranh International Port is far from the center of Nha Trang City (about 60km), the travel time by road is about 3-4 hours, while the ship anchors at the Port for only 8-10 hours/trip for visitors. Along with that, there are additional costs for renting a shuttle car, tour guide, operator,... and having to do procedures when the Port is in a military control area.

To "resolve difficulties" in cruise tourism, recently, the People's Committee of Khanh Hoa province has issued a document requesting the Navy Region 4 to pay attention to supporting the departments, branches and sectors of the province, Tan Cang - Petro Cam Ranh Company Limited and tourism enterprises to participate in welcoming and serving cruise tourists to Cam Ranh International Port conveniently and quickly. Tan Cang - Petro Cam Ranh Company Limited also worked with the Navy Region 4 Command to create a "clear" way to pick up and drop off passengers in and out of the Port; participate in free transportation of passengers from the port to KN Cam Ranh Tourist Area for those who do not go on tours; support part of the costs incurred by travel agencies organizing tours for guests.

Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa has long been an ideal and favorite destination of international cruise lines.

Khanh Hoa Province Department of Tourism also said that it has requested the Provincial People's Committee to direct the Department of Transport to preside over and coordinate with Nha Trang Maritime Port Authority, Nha Trang City People's Committee, Border Guard Command and related units to study and survey Nha Trang Tourist Wharf and areas that can receive transit ships from international cruise ships anchored in announced areas to pick up guests, while waiting for the announcement of a new anchorage area at Ana Marina Nha Trang Port (located in the north of Nha Trang City, meeting the standards but this area does not have an international cruise ship anchorage area).

In the first 9 months of 2024, Khanh Hoa province welcomed about 9 million overnight guests, an increase of 57.9% over the same period in 2023, reaching 100% of the 2024 plan. In the last months of 2024, Khanh Hoa aims to attract 1-2 million overnight guests, bringing the total number of visitors to the locality in 2024 to over 10 million./.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/tau-du-lich-cho-hon-2300-khach-sap-cap-cang-quoc-te-cam-ranh-20241018162749111.htm