The Chan May Port in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue expects to welcome 46 cruise ships with nearly 150,000 foreign tourists and crew members this year, the Chan May Port Company said.

In the first two months this year, seven cruise liners docked at the port, bringing 10,021 tourists and crew members to the central province.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Cao said the upgrades to the Chan May port’s Wharf No. 1 will be accelerated to ensure safety for ships coming in and out of the port.

The project was started in May last year at an estimated cost of VND310 billion (US$13.8 million), including US$5 million sourced from the Royal Caribbean International Group.

Key components have been completed, lengthening Wharf No 1 from 300 metres to 360 metres, expanding the turning radius for ships from 400 metres to 570 metres.

Wharf No 1 is now able to accommodate Quantum-class ships in sizes up to 158,000 GT and 360.3-m long Oasis-class ships in sizes up to 225,282 GT.

He also pledged that the locality will do its utmost to facilitate the implementation of the Wharf No.2 in the port.

This month, the port is expected to serve an additional four ships bringing around 4,500 international tourists and 2,000 crew members to visit Hue imperial city and the central provinces of Vietnam.

VNA