A worker loads a container onto a ship at the Tan Cang-Cao Lanh Port in Dong Thap Province. (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Riverand sea ports in the Mekong Delta system of Group 6 ports handle a hugevolume of goods, but 70 percent amount of goods in the region are stillcarried by road to Ho Chi Minh City.
About 85 million tonnes of goods are beingloaded at ports in the region each year, according to Trinh The Cuong fromthe Vietnam Maritime Administration.
However, the seaports handle only 20-25 percentof the total cargo shipped by sea in the region, while the remaining istransported through ports in the southeastern region, he said.
The Ministry of Transport’s Planning andInvestment Department blamed the problem on inefficiency and poor management ofthe existing ports.
Transportation of goods via Cai Cui, Hoang Dieuand Tra Noc ports in Can Tho city reached 2.11 million tonnes in 2015, 1.04million tonnes last year, and 0.54 million tonnes in the first three months ofthis year.
Although the Government has designated ports inCan Tho city as the main shipping hub of the delta, their overalloperations represented only 35 percent of the total capacity.
As of the end of 2016, Tan Cang-Cai Cui port wasstill focusing on container ships, and had not reached even 10 percent of itscapacity.
The owner of a container shipping unit in Ho ChiMinh City said that one tonne of cargo transported from the Mekong Delta to HoChi Minh City ports via sea costs 10 USD, while transport costs by road are 11-16USD.
However,door-to-door sea transport services are higher in costscompared to roads because of the cost of loading and unloading, which accountsfor 35-40 percent of total costs. The transit time via sea is more than fivetimes longer, he said.
“That is the reason shipping in the Mekong Deltais not attracting goods with high transport quality requirements,” he said.
Dao Anh Dung, Vice Chairman of the Can Tho CityPeople’s Committee, said the Government hasapproved the city’s proposal to expand a logistics centre with atotal area of 242.2ha at Cai Cui port in Hung Phu Industrial Zone 1B in Cai Rangdistrict. "This logistics centre plan is expected to be approved thisyear,” he said.
Tran Tuan Hai, head of the Vietnam NationalShipping Lines’ (Vinalines) Communication and Development Strategy Department,said Vinalines was working with the Phnom PenhAutonomous Port (PPAP) in Cambodia to set up anew container transport route from PPAP to ports in Can Tho toimprove cargo capacity.
Coordinating with PetroVietnam PowerCorporation (PV Power), Vinalines has also launched a container transport routefrom Cai Cui port to Singapore to transport coal to PV Power’s power plants,with output up to 7 million tonnes per year.
“This area also lacks dry ports and logisticscentres to serve as transit points. Therefore, transport capacity islimited, and there are long waiting times and higher transportcosts," he said.
Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The saidthat the Cai Cui port in Can Tho city should be built and act asa key logistics centre in the delta and an international trading and transshipment hubin the region.
He also assigned the Ministry of Transport’sPlanning and Investment Department to coordinate with the Vietnam MaritimeAdministration to complete the overall planning of Tran De port in Soc Trang.
Preferential policies on charges and fees arealso urgently needed to encourage container ships to carry goods directly toMekong Delta ports.
Group 6 ports include river ports and seaports in12 provinces and cities, including Cao Lanh-Sa Dec Port in Dong Thap province,My Tho port in Tien Giang province, Vinh Thai port in Vinh Long province, HamLuong port in Ben Tre province and ports along the Tien River. These portsreceive boats of 5,000 deadweight tonnes (DWT).
Seaports serving vessels of 10,000 to20,000 DWT on the Hau River include Hoang Dieu, Cai Cui and Tra Nocports in Can Tho city, My Thoi port in An Giang province, Dai Ngai port in SocTrang province and Tra Cu port in Tra Vinh province and other specialisedports.
For ships of 5,000 to 10,000 DWT, seaports inthe Ca Mau peninsula include Nam Can port in Ca Mau province, and Hon Chong, BaiNo, Binh Tri and specialised ports in Kien Giang province’s western coast.
By 2020, the ports’combined capacity in theregion is expected to transport 28 million tonnes of goods annually and 71.5million tonnes by 2030.
Of the figure, cargo and container shipswill account for 21-26 million tonnes of the total annualvolume.-VNS/VNA
VNA
