The Vietnam Maritime Bureau will focus on four key port and infrastructure projects from now until 2020 as part of its strategy to lift the country’s maritime industry.
These projects involve making improvements to the Hai Phong international gateway port, Van Phong international transshipment port, Cai Mep-Thi Vai port complex, and the Hau River infrastructure, reports the VietNamNet.
Initial plans for the Hai Phong international gateway port in Lach Huyen district include the construction of two wharves that can receive vessels of 100,000 DWT (deadweight tonnage). Nguyen Nhat, head of the Vietnam Maritime Bureau, said the wharves are expected to be operational by 2016.
Later, investors will be invited to develop eight more wharves, of which three will be general wharves for hosting 50,000 DWT ships and five will be container wharves for serving 50,000 DWT to 100,000 DWT vessels.
Meanwhile, the Van Phong international transshipment port in the central province of Khanh Hoa is being eyed for renewed expansion after its development has stalled in recent years. The project was approved by the state in 2007 and was launched in 2009, but development has sputtered due to funding problems.
The port is regarded as an ideal international harbor for its long coastline of over 10 kilometers and natural depth.
There are also plans to upgrade the Cai Mep-Thi Vai passage in southern Vietnam to make it accessible to ships of over 100,000 DWT.
Infrastructure along the Hau River, an important transportation corridor between Cambodia and Vietnam, is likewise targeted for upgrading to allow the passage of 10,000 DWT ships and invigorate economic and trade activities in the Mekong Delta area.
Photo: dalbera
