International cruise ships, which had shunned Vietnam and, in fact, the entire Southeast Asian region due to a variety of reasons, are back in numbers.

The Saigon Travel Service Corp. (Saigontourist), in conjunction with a US travel company will offer periodic foreign sea cruises to Vietnam, expected to extend tourist stays and boost spending.

An elderly Vietnamese-American couple is among 24 people disappeared from cruise ships between 2003 and 2005, a US congressional panel heard Tuesday.

Egyptian authorities blocked Tuesday six big ships from entering the Suez Canal because of an oil spill in the waterway, a Suez Canal Authority official said.

Over 600 passengers and 447 crew members arrived in Da Nang Wednesday aboard the cruise ship Seven Seas Voyager for sightseeing in the city and neighboring areas.

A subsidiary of the state-run giant shipbuilder Vinashin in the northern port city of Hai Phong Friday began work on eight container ships worth €110 million (US$131 million) for a German shipping company.

Thirty-seven Chinese sailors were missing on Friday after their cargo ship sank off southeast China, Xinhua news agency said.

The Vietnam Ocean Shipping Agency will make an initial public offering (IPO) worth some VND45 billion (US$2.8 million) next month, the Vietnam News Agency reported Thursday.

Some of the highest regional shipping fees and an aging vessel fleet have left Vietnam’s seaport service sector uncompetitive compared to foreign counterparts.

Vietnam's shipbuilding industry is growing vigorously and increasingly winning the trust of foreign customers, reaching 11th position in the world.