On October 16, in Ho Chi Minh City, chairing a dialogue with businesses operating in the maritime sector, Director of the Vietnam Maritime Administration Le Do Muoi answered many “hot” issues.
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Dredging the channel helps the port quickly increase output
At the conference, Mr. Nhu Dinh Thien, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Marine Agents, Brokers and Services (VISABA), said that priority should be given to dredging key national channels in economic regions. key areas, especially Hai Phong and Cai Mep areas.
Specifically, in Hai Phong, it is necessary to periodically maintain the Ha Nam channel to ensure a depth of -8.5m, the Cai Mep channel to reach a minimum depth of -15.5m and research deeper dredging to ensure the capacity to receive super ships. Mother containers of 25,000 TEUs or more.
“Ha Nam canal (Hai Phong) is an important gateway to the North with a high density of maritime vessels and a strong tendency to increase ship tonnage. On July 27, 2024, the project to upgrade the Hai Phong navigation channel, the section from the turning basin of Hai Phong international container port to Nam Dinh Vu port was completed, the depth of -8.5m ensures large tonnage ships. going in and out to do business.
As soon as the maritime notice was issued, some shipping lines proactively restructured their routes to allow ships to enter the operating area, making operations on the route much busier. The project has created a breakthrough, eliminating the situation where cargo ships have to wait for water, contributing to significantly increasing the competitiveness of Hai Phong port cluster…”, Mr. Thien said.
Mr. Nhu Dinh Thien gave his opinion at the conference.
VISABA representative proposed that the Ministry of Transport and the Vietnam Maritime Administration accelerate the expansion of the Ha Nam canal compared to planning (from the current 80m to 120m), allowing ships to circulate in two directions to reduce pressure on the routes. maritime, cutting logistics costs…
Mr. Phan Hoang Vu, Deputy General Director of SSIT port, said that along with the growth of the market, the output of Vietnam’s import and export goods compared to the same period in 2023 increased significantly, reaching 19%. The Cai Mep area alone, at the end of September, grew by 36%, with output reaching more than 4.7 million TEUs. This is thanks to the completion of Cai Mep channel dredging to -15.5m upstream of CMIT port with state capital, attracting many ships with a tonnage of up to 24 thousand TEUs and a draft of up to 16m to dock at the port.
The representative of SSIT port requested the Ministry of Transport and the Vietnam Maritime Administration to create a more favorable mechanism for port enterprises in Cai Mep to receive ships with insignificant differences in tonnage (reduced load) compared to the announcement. The reason is that current ships are designed in a variety of ways, with no fixed tonnage. This will create conditions for Cai Mep ports to become destinations for shipping lines, effectively taking advantage of the -15.5m navigation channel depth and 700m wide turning channel of adjacent ports, including Gemalink, SSIT, TCTT, CMIT…
Mr. Phan Hoang Vu, Deputy General Director of SSIT port spoke.
According to a representative of Saigon Port, currently dredging the Soai Rap channel is facing many difficulties. This channel is very important, not only is it ready to share with the Vung Tau channel, in 2022 and 2023, ships will enter and exit the Soai Rap and Long Tau channels equally (about 9,000 times). However, by 2024, the number of ships entering and leaving the Soai Rap channel will decrease, due to sedimentation. Currently, there are places where it is only -7m, businesses on the route are operating very difficult.
The representative of Saigon Port proposed that there should be funding sources, possibly from the budget, socialization sources combined with localities) to dredge and maintain this channel, ensuring a depth of -9m – 12m… Together Currently, dredging in front of ports in Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria – Vung Tau faces many difficulties due to procedures and waste dumping sites. Saigon Port proposes to the Maritime Administration to consider searching for waste dumping locations and planning long-term strategic dumping locations…
Proposal to adjust loading and unloading prices and inventory handling
According to Mr. Cao Hong Phong, Deputy General Director of Gemalink port, with the trend of green ports, shipping companies recently announced that they will send ships running on methanol fuel to visit the Ba Ria – Vung Tau port cluster in the second and third quarters of this year. 2025.
In European countries and the US, loading and unloading rates have been adjusted to meet the needs of green ports, receiving ships running methanol. Mr. Phong proposed that the Vietnam Maritime Administration needs to provide guidance to deep-water ports in the Cai Mep – Thi Vai area on procedures, processes, and ship dispatching methods to prepare for receiving ships running methanol, heavy large load (from 24 – 25 thousand TEUs) into the Cai Mep – Thi Vai area.
Mr. Cao Hong Phong, Deputy General Director of Gemalink port proposed ideas.
Representative of Saigon Newport Corporation proposed to increase the speed of ships in the Ganh Rai Bay area (Vung Tau channel) to 12 knots/h; There needs to be regulations on fishing corridors so that fishing does not cause unsafety in the navigation channel.
Also in Vung Tau channel (from buoy number “0” to CMIT port) there have been a number of shallow spots, requiring inspection and dredging maintenance to ensure the minimum channel center depth -15.5m. Consider applying information technology to update channel depth for ports and shipping lines…
Many businesses also pointed out that backlogged goods at ports are increasing and there is currently no fundamental solution. According to port businesses and VISABA, current legal regulations regulate the order and procedures for handling backlogged goods. However, for many years, the situation of backlogged goods and container scrap at seaports has not been thoroughly handled.
For many reasons, the amount of inventory from North to South tends to increase year by year. Among them, Cat Lai port has the largest backlog in the country. It has reported to Customs many times but has not been able to remove it and now the backlog is getting bigger and bigger. Many shippers also view seaports as “yards” for storing goods with no commercial value. If not thoroughly resolved, Vietnam will become the world’s garbage dump.
Business representatives said that the price of domestic container loading and unloading services is still low (about 50% of the regional price). Meanwhile, the price of loading and unloading empty containers at depots is sky-high.
Completely solve many problems
At the conference, Mr. Le Do Muoi, Director of the Vietnam Maritime Administration, acknowledged and appreciated the suggestions and comments of business representatives.
Mr. Muoi said that every year, the Vietnam Maritime Administration and the Ministry of Transport arrange dredging of channels, but currently there are problems with dumping dredged products. The Department has worked with Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Ba Ria – Vung Tau but has not found a place to dump waste. Only Tien Giang has waste disposal (about 2 million m3). There are provinces where dumping locations are like a puzzle, because the dumping fee is equal to three dredging fees. The biggest problem is environmental impact assessment.
Director of Vietnam Maritime Administration Le Do Muoi answered the delegates.
Responding to VISBA’s proposal, the Director said that the expansion of Ha Nam canal and other canals must follow a medium-term plan (every 5 years). However, in the 2021 – 2026 plan, there is no funding to do this, so the Department must review it because resources are limited and must be balanced for other projects.
As for the Saigon – Vung Tau channel, it will be dredged in early November. Currently, there is a dumping location. The Cai Mep channel has just been dredged and expanded. There are currently some locations at the river confluence that are silted up. The center of the channel will be adjusted and has been included in the maintenance plan.
Regarding the large ship project, the Vietnam Maritime Administration has just submitted to the Ministry of Transport, synthesizing all the opinions of businesses on problems and difficulties to propose a complete solution. In particular, encourage effective exploitation of existing infrastructure to ensure safety and suitability.
“Regarding backlogged goods at ports, after working with port businesses, the Vietnam Maritime Administration has advised and the Ministry has also sent a document to the Ministry of Finance, we have worked and given some solutions. France. The backlog of goods is really painful. There are goods imported but no company can be found to receive them, because they have been dissolved. A lot of goods have been imported and now it’s been 10 years, 20 years, they’re gone, there’s no solution. It may be necessary to organize a workshop to invite units related to the backlog to discuss how to thoroughly resolve it…”, Mr. Muoi said.
Regarding container handling prices, according to Mr. Muoi, amending Circular 12 of the Ministry of Transport is a big step forward. Based on the actual situation, an appropriate roadmap will be developed. In the immediate future, it is necessary to base on Circular 12 for port enterprises to apply loading and unloading prices to avoid unfair competition.
“Currently, empty containers are difficult to manage. It is recommended that ports keep statistics on empty containers both exported and imported for strict management. Because currently, the cost of loading and unloading empty containers at deports is unreasonable. We will review the layout of the ports to arrange them appropriately and apply the prices of Circular 12,” the Director said.
Regarding the current green port, the Director said that each country has its own roadmap and different plans. We have made decisions and criteria for green ports, state management has a framework, meeting international requirements but must maximize savings for businesses and national interests come first. If there are standard criteria that can be met, do it immediately.
According to Bao Giaothong
