2:29:23 PM | 25/9/2008
Along with the development of economic activities, the maritime sector and the national seaports system are considered as a bridge between the inland and international sea traffic, playing an important role to Vietnam’s economic, trade activities and good shipment. Up to the country’s 90 per cent of export goods are transported by sea.
In front of the increasing demand of container ports for heavy cargo vessels, particularly in the southern key economic zone-based sea ports, containerization seem to be the best choice to raise the transportation quality and capacity. However, the country’s seaport system includes mostly general or dedicated ports and few container ports. In term of the loading capacity, Vietnam has not yet had any port which is able to receive container ships running on transoceanic routes. Moreover, Vietnam’s ports are located near the estuaries so the transportation as well as the connection to other transport modes like railway, road is limited.
In order to promote the effectiveness and the balanced development of the seaport system on the large scale and the basis of high specialisation and modernisation, contributing to the development of the southern economic zone, Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines) has planned to build container port for cargo vessels of 80,000 DWT and above in Ben Dinh Sao Mai in Ba Ria Vung Tau province. By doing that, Vinalines expects to ease the increase of goods shipment in regional seaports, improve the Ba Ria-Vung Tau-based deep water port’s capacity, and importantly raising the competitive ability of Vietnam’s seaport system in the region and the world.
The Ben Dinh Sao Mai container port is therefore a project with the high investment capital and the complex technique, which requires the careful research to ensure the quality and the investment effectiveness. To serve the goods unloading from the port, a 12 km-long road will be built on the basis of the road 30/4 in the Vung Tau city currently. Because Vung Tau is a city for tourism, the scheme will be studied carefully in order to offer the most feasible measures, for example environmental-friendly and advanced loading techniques. To carry out the project, Vinalines signed a contract with the China Merchants Group to set up the Vung Tau international container port construction joint venture company, with the credit support from China’s Development Bank.
Vinalines General Director Mai Van Phuc said his corporation has already completed the planning of the Ben Dinh-Sao Mai sea port and is currently proposing to supplement the seaport in to seaport group No.5.Immediately after being approved; Vinalines will urgently promote investment procedures to start the construction in 2009 and become operational in 2011. On schedule, by 2010, the project will cover an earmarked area of 86.4 hectares, with the 1,400m-long wharf to receive 80,000 DWT container ships. The seaport will be built in parallel with the Dinh river route and connected to the petroleum service port of Sao Mai - Ben Dinh Petroleum Investment J.S Company (PVSB) under the PetroVietnam, with the capacity of one million TEU a year.
Luu Hiep
Vietnamese
