Vietnam’s largest high-speed craft put into operation
The Phu Quoc Fast Ferry JSC held a ceremony at Cau Da Port in Vung Tau city, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province on February 14, to put into operation a high-speed craft, the Con Dao Express 36, aiming to serve people and tourists on the Vung Tau-Con Dao route and vice versa.
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| Con Dao Express 36 can accommodate 598 passengers. |
It is the largest high-speed catamaran in Vietnam, with a length of nearly 47 metres, a width of 12 metres and a capacity of accommodating 598 passengers.
The fast ferry is equipped with four Rolls-Royce engines, allowing a maximum speed of 35 nautical miles per hour (equivalent to 60 kilometres per hour), which will help shorten the trip from Vung Tau to Con Dao to three hours, nearly 10 hours faster than travelling by the normal ships currently operated in Vietnam.
According to the Phu Quoc Fast Ferry JSC, Con Dao Express 36 has been designed following European standards and meets national standards on high-speed ship classification and construction.
As a catamaran, Con Dao Express 36 will have a high level of stability during its operation. Also, a large passenger compartment will keep those aboard from getting tired and reduce seasickness.
Con Dao Express 36 will start serving passengers from February 15. The ship will depart from Cau Da Port (Vung Tau) for Ben Dam Port (Con Dao) at 8am and return at 1.30pm on the same day.
The fare will be VND660,000 (US$28.38) per trip for economy class and VND1.2 million (US$51.6) per trip for luxury class. Passengers who buy tickets between February 15 and 28 will get a 20% discount on the fare.
The Phu Quoc Fast Ferry JSC is currently operating five high-speed catamarans, including Phu Quoc Express 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, with a capacity of 300 passengers each and a maximum speed of up to 30 nautical miles per hour, across four routes in Kien Giang provinces, namely Rach Gia-Phu Quoc, Rach Gia-Hon Son, Rach Gia-Nam Du and Ha Tien-Phu Quoc.
