Shipment of 15,000 tons of plastic beads exported to Europe on the 6th of Tet at Long An International Port. Photo: B.L

Full of export cargo ships

On the first working day of the New Year, a shipment of 15,000 tons of plastic pellets exported to Europe via Long An international port was loaded onto a ship leaving the port on the morning of February 15.

Mr. Vo Quoc Huy, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Long An Port Joint Stock Company, said, the first export shipment via the port on the launching day of annual order recorded an important turning point in the development process. This have brought trust and expectations for a Year of the Dragon 2024 with strong growth in import-export turnover of Long An International Port.

Previously, on February 13 (the 4th day of Tet) at Tan Cang - Cai Mep port, the ship One Aquila which is more than 364m in length, carrying capacity of 14,052 TEU, belonging to the PS7 service line of The Alliance shipping line, exploiting connections Vietnam to the United States have loaded the first export containers onto ships.

Also in the first days of Giap Thin 2024 New Year, international mother ships continuously docked at Cai Mep - Thi Vai ports to handle cargo. On February 10 (the first day of Tet), Gemalink International Port welcomed ONE INFINITY ship which is 400m in length and 22,521 DWT of tonnage and is 24,136 TEU in capacity. The ONE INFINITY ship belongs to the FE3 service line of THE Alliance shipping line, including Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, HMM, Yang Ming, launched in January 2024. While docking at Gemalink port, this ship loaded and unloaded 3,807 containers of import and export goods and then continued its journey to Singapore and Rotterdam ports (Netherlands).

Since early days of the New Year, Ho Chi Minh City seaports have witnessed exciting atmosphere of exporting goods through seaports. In the first week of the Lunar New Year, the port welcomed 75 cargo ships with a throughput of 72 thousand TEUs, equivalent to more than 1 million tons of goods (up 9% over the same period in 2023). On New Year's Eve alone, Cat Lai port welcomed 7 container ships. In particular, the export shipment was loaded on the Ever Green shipping line's Uni Perfect ship with a tonnage of 19,308 tons and a carrying capacity of nearly 1,618 TEUs. This shipment contained electronic components products, a key product that contributed to Ho Chi Minh City's export turnover last year reaching a turnover of more than 42 billion USD. The ship has a journey from Cat Lai port (Vietnam) - Kaohsiung (Taiwan) - Osaka, Kobe, Hakata (Japan) - Shang Hai (China) - Hong Kong - Cat Lai. The total loading and unloading output on the night of the Xuan Giap Thin loading order reached about 7,500 TEU (equivalent to 105 thousand tons of goods).

After the Tet holidays, the amount of import and export goods through Ho Chi Minh City ports gradually increased on the 6th day of Tet (February 15), nearly 200 export shipments were put on ships leaving Cat Lai port. It is forecasted that in the coming days, exports will increase as the bounce back of businesses after the Lunar New Year break.

High growth expectations at seaports

The prosperity of cargo ships docking at the beginning of 2024 have lighten the hope for the prosperity of import and export goods and availability of source of goods at seaports. Tan Cang - Cai Mep port cluster with a yard area of 108 hectares and nearly 1,500 meters of wharf, capable of receiving 3 mother ships with a capacity of 14,000 TEU at the same time, with a modern equipment system and well trained human resources. The port cluster has been meeting the needs of customers and major shipping lines in the world. The entire port cluster's throughput accounts for nearly 60% in the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area. The Tan Cang - Cai Mep Port cluster, operated by the Saigon New Port Corporation, is a national gateway and transit point for goods between Vietnam and countries around the world, especially key export and import markets of Vietnam in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

In 2023, despite many difficulties, Saigon Newport Corporation has successfully completed the set target with an output of containers through ports reaching 9,75 million Teu, equivalent to nearly 140 million tons of goods, an increase growth of nearly 1% (accounting for 56,8% of the country, 89,5% of the market share in Ho Chi Minh City area). The Tan Cang - Cai Mep port cluster alone recorded a growth of 10% with a throughput of more than 2,7 million Teu, accounting for 55% of the output market share through the Cai Mep - Thi Vai deep-water container port cluster.

Indicating that Vietnam is promoting the development of the marine economy, striving to make Vietnam a strong maritime nation by 2030, in which the maritime economy is given priority for development, ranking 2nd among 6 marine economic sectors, the Prime Minister emphasized the important role and responsibility of the transport sector, including Saigon Newport Corporation. Along with that, Vietnam is promoting the implementation of three strategic breakthroughs, including a breakthrough in transportation infrastructure, so the Corporation must participate in developing seaports to connect inland ports with our country's major international ports; must support localities where the unit's seaports are located to develop better logistics, contributing to improving the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods, especially agricultural products.

Vietnam now is the key trade partner with more than 60 major markets within the framework of free trade agreements (FTA), with the tremendous volume of import and export goods transport. Therefore, the unit must contribute to the smooth of goods movement and the Vietnamese people rights... The Prime Minister requested Saigon Newport to take part in modernizing seaports and inland waterway ports, promoting greening and digital transformation to build smart ports.​