As the Chinese government has pledged to reach its carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, it is necessary to investigate how regional sustainable development can be achieved. This paper used a ‘bottom-up’ model to calculate the ferry carbon emissions in Jingning, China, and proposed four measures to reduce carbon emissions, including renewing ferryboats, planting water-level-fluctuating zones, greening the ferries, and installing solar energy. Quantitative analyses were conducted to calculate the possible emissions reduction from 2021 to 2025, with the results indicating that the total emissions could be reduced by 392.67 t. Finally, a new low-carbon ferry concept is proposed, based on simultaneous carbon emission reduction and carbon sink enhancement. This study provided a theoretical and decision-making reference for the operation of green, beautiful, and low-carbon ferries.