New Energy Smart Boats and Vessels

A boat as a means of travel, taking in the glittering lights of the city at night

Small Pleasure Boats

The Beijing Urban Inland Waterway Waterfront Night Tour Pilot Project, designed to address the narrow channel and numerous locks along the Liangma River that affect navigability, utilizes 15-meter-class small, new-energy, smart sightseeing boats as the primary mode of transportation for night tours. These boats connect the nighttime views of bridges with digital light and shadow installations, enabling dual-mode operations that include daytime sightseeing and nighttime light-and-shadow tours.

Technology and Solutions

This small, all-electric vessel has a shallow draft, making it suitable for navigation through lock chambers; its streamlined onboard audio system integrates with the shore-based central control system, enabling synchronized lighting effects onshore with audio commentary onboard; the hull design optimizes viewing angles; and the vessel complies with urban inland waterway navigation regulations.

Public Value

The sightseeing boats welcome 420,000 visitors annually, with nighttime foot traffic during holidays increasing by 120% compared to before the renovation; local residents account for over 70% of nighttime visitors.

The project has generated a 1:2.4 multiplier effect on the nighttime tourism economy, with nighttime revenue at riverside dining and leisure establishments increasing by an average of 62%, thereby revitalizing consumption along the riverbanks.

The riverside night views are open to the public free of charge, serving 1.6 million local residents annually and transforming the city’s inland waterways into public recreational spaces for citizens.

Project Value

A benchmark for small, smart tour boats on narrow inland waterways; it integrates green ship technology, waterfront lighting and projections, and inclusive cultural and tourism experiences for the public, providing a replicable model for nighttime tours on waterways with limited space.

Small and Medium-Sized Cruise Ships

As a benchmark for nighttime tours along the northern starting point of the Grand Canal—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—and due to height restrictions on the canal bridges, small-to-medium-sized, 25-meter-class new-energy sightseeing boats have been selected to serve as mobile theaters. Each boat can carry 60 passengers, and the cruise lasts 50 minutes. Centered on the culture of the ancient canal transport system, the experience combines water screens, architectural projections, and live performances during the cruise to create an immersive, moving water-based theatrical experience in Beijing.

Technology and Solutions

Compact hull suitable for small and medium-sized vessels, featuring large panoramic windows and designed to comply with bridge height restrictions; fully electric propulsion throughout the vessel to meet environmental requirements for heritage waterways; equipped with a comprehensive onboard audio-visual system, with Beidou positioning triggering chapter-based light and sound displays along the route; IP65-rated equipment designed to withstand the foggy and humid conditions of the canal; supports two performance versions—one for regular days and one for holidays; the vessel complies with the navigation regulations for nighttime cruises on the Grand Canal.

Public Value

During holidays, the daily visitor count peaked at 19,000; the average length of stay increased from 2 hours to 4.2 hours, and the proportion of overnight visitors in the area rose by 12 percentage points.
The project achieved a consumption multiplier effect of 1:2.7. Nighttime revenue for cultural and tourism businesses along the canal increased by an average of 68 percent, driving the creation of more than 240 new jobs in the cultural and tourism sectors.
The nighttime public spaces along the Grand Canal served 1.76 million residents for recreational purposes throughout the year. Coupled with subsidized boat tickets for residents, this initiative promoted inclusive access to the World Cultural Heritage site.

Project Value

A benchmark for small- and medium-sized smart tour boats on heritage waterways with height restrictions; demonstrating the feasibility of using a 25-meter-class compact hull as a mobile performance venue, and fostering the coordinated development of heritage preservation, immersive performances, and the urban night economy.

Medium-sized cruise ship

The Greater Bay Area “On-the-Move” Water-Based Technology and Light Show Night Tour features 30-meter-class new-energy smart performance cruise ships, each with a maximum capacity of 95 passengers. The route spans 5 kilometers, and the tour lasts 50 minutes. By delving deeply into the Lingnan “Water Flower City” folk customs and integrating architectural projections on both sides of the water, water screens, and live performances, the tour creates an immersive night tour experience that seamlessly integrates land, water, and air.

Technology and Solutions

With a medium-sized hull and a spacious open-air observation deck, the vessel strikes a balance between passenger capacity and inland waterway navigation requirements; its all-electric, low-noise propulsion system complies with inland waterway ecological regulations; equipped with a 360° surround sound system, the vessel features nine themed entertainment segments triggered by Beidou positioning along the route; onboard equipment meets IP66 protection standards, making it suitable for the hot, rainy, and humid climate of southern China; the vessel complies with safety regulations for nighttime navigation on the Pearl River Delta’s inland waterways.

Public Value

The sightseeing boats welcomed 270,000 visitors annually, with a single-day peak of 12,000 during holidays; the average length of stay increased from 1.5 hours to 4.5 hours, and the proportion of overnight visitors in the area rose by 11 percentage points.
The project’s consumption multiplier effect was 1:2.6; nighttime revenue for riverside restaurants, bed-and-breakfasts, and cultural and creative businesses rose by 63%, driving the creation of more than 190 jobs in the culture and tourism sector.
The riverside night scenery is open to the public free of charge, serving 1.35 million local residents annually; special resident discount tickets were introduced, transforming Lingnan folk customs into accessible cultural and tourism products.

Project Value

A benchmark for 30-meter-class medium-sized performance cruise ships in cities along the southern waterways; demonstrating that medium-sized vessels can accommodate large numbers of passengers and support a fully immersive, live-action performance experience, thereby achieving the coordinated implementation of folk culture revitalization, waterway ecosystem conservation, and the upgrading of nighttime consumption in the Greater Bay Area.

Large Cruise Ship

A 50-meter luxury new-energy cruise ship on the Xiang River, it is Hunan’s largest new-energy passenger cruise ship in terms of passenger capacity; The vessel’s design draws inspiration from the ridgelines of Yuelu Mountain, echoing Changsha’s “mountain, water, island, and city” aesthetic. With an 85–90-minute cruise route, it connects Orange Isle, the Du Fu River Pavilion, and the clusters of light displays along both banks of the Xiang River. It supports multi-mode operations, including nighttime sightseeing, onboard performances, business meetings, and group charters.

Technology and Solutions

With a passenger capacity of 500, the vessel features a three-story panoramic deck, an indoor performance hall, and an open-air observation deck. It utilizes a diesel-electric hybrid power system, offering low noise and low emissions to comply with the Xiang River’s ecological management requirements. The vessel is equipped with an onboard audiovisual stage system and dynamic exterior lighting strips, all featuring IP66 protection to withstand the river’s high humidity and temperature fluctuations. It supports multiple modes of operation, including daytime sightseeing, night cruises, themed performances, and corporate charter services. Certified by the China Classification Society (CCS), it meets safety standards for high-passenger-volume night cruises and docking operations.

Public Value

Each vessel can accommodate up to 320,000 passengers annually, with a single-day peak of 9,500 passengers during holidays, effectively handling the peak passenger flow for nighttime cruises on the Xiang River; the average length of stay for tourists has increased to 2.5–3 hours, driving growth in overnight visitors to the area.
The project’s consumption multiplier is 1:2.5, driving the development of riverside dining, bars, cultural and creative businesses, and hotels, and creating more than 280 new jobs in the cultural and tourism sector.
The project offers discounted tickets for local residents and hosts public performances, enriching Changsha’s public cultural offerings on the water.

Project Value

A benchmark for large, 50-meter-class new-energy cruise ships on the broad rivers of the middle Yangtze; demonstrates the capability of large vessels to simultaneously accommodate a variety of scenarios, including mass sightseeing, onboard entertainment, and business conferences; and serves as a reference model for vessel selection and operational models for large-scale nighttime water tours on major rivers across China.