Is it true that the anti-submersion tourist boat 'defies all weather' in Ha Long Bay?

Information about the anti-submersion passenger ship that can withstand all weather conditions and is about to appear in Ha Long Bay is attracting attention and controversy. Is there really an anti-submersion ship that can withstand all weather conditions?

The upcoming information that Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh province will have a tourist ship with a double hull design, divided into many watertight compartments and a double-layer bottom system to increase safety and prevent capsizing in all weather conditions has attracted attention with many controversial opinions. Is there any ship that can prevent capsizing in all weather conditions?

To learn more about this information, VietNamNet reporters contacted the leaders of Viet Thuan Transport Company Limited, the investor of this ship.

The company representative said the ship has a total investment of more than 60 billion VND, expected to be commercially exploited from the first quarter of 2026, serving the "heritage journey" route on Ha Long Bay.

The ship is divided into many watertight compartments and equipped with a double-layer bottom system to increase safety and prevent capsizing in bad weather conditions. With the VR-SB class, the ship is allowed to operate in coastal areas within a range of 12 nautical miles. In particular, the ship has a safety coefficient K of 4, 4 times higher than the maritime standard (standard cruise ships have a coefficient K of level 1 or higher), the safety coefficient of the ship is so far the highest in Ha Long Bay.

3D image of the catamaran about to go into operation in Ha Long Bay with high anti-rolling ability

After being built and before being put into operation, this catamaran will be inspected according to international standards and some additional requirements of the Vietnamese maritime industry to suit the geographical region.

Speaking to reporters, a representative of the ship's design unit - Vietnam Maritime Technology Development Engineering Joint Stock Company - said that catamarans are more stable and resistant to capsizing at sea because of the ship's large size and the ship's technical arrangement spread out on both sides to enhance safety measures.

"Because the ship's width is large, its stability is high, and it has only two floors above ground, it is very stable. The ship is like a house, with a solid foundation it will not be tilted. With weather conditions that allow operations and normal winds and waves at sea, it is unlikely that this ship will capsize," said a representative of Vietnam Maritime Technology Development Engineering Joint Stock Company.

Regarding the information that the ship is capable of preventing capsizing in all weather conditions, the design unit's representative said bluntly: "The ship is designed to increase safety and prevent capsizing in bad weather conditions. No one dares to confirm that there is any ship that can encounter waves as large as a tsunami and never capsize."

The design unit said that this catamaran is 46m long, 14.6m wide, 3.8m high, and 1.75m deep. The ship is equipped with 2 main engines with a total capacity of 1,300 horsepower, designed to carry 99 passengers, 7 crew members, and 6 service staff.

According to the leader of the Department of Construction of Quang Ninh province, catamarans and monohull ships have different advantages and disadvantages. The ship with a higher stability safety factor will have a higher anti-rollover ability.

In the near future, the Ministry of Construction will send a working group to Quang Ninh to conduct a survey to consider setting up its own standards for cruise ships. The Ministry will evaluate the harmonization of the functional factors of the catamaran type to suit the reality.

According to VietNamNet reporters, catamarans are a popular type of ship in the world and this is not the first one to appear in Vietnam. The ship is designed according to national technical standards on classification and construction of inland waterway vehicles. Accordingly, the ship is designed according to VR-SB standards, higher than the VR-SII standards of the Green Bay ship and the price is 3.4 times more expensive than the ship that capsized this July. However, it cannot be confirmed that there is any type of ship that is resistant to sinking and capsizing under all weather conditions.

It is known that the specialized unit of the Vietnam Register has just assessed the design of the above catamaran.

N. Huyen - Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tau-du-lich-chong-chim-lat-bat-chap-moi-thoi-tiet-o-vinh-ha-long-lieu-co-that-2443225.html