Cai Mep - Thi Vai: A bright spot on the international maritime map

Cai Mep - Thi Vai: A bright spot on the international maritime map

An international transshipment port with ability to receive super large vessels

CM-TV port cluster is a natural wind sealed deep-water port, located near international maritime routes, has ability to receive large vessels. In the early time of research and plan making, experts said CM-TV is qualified to be an international and national deep-water port system.

After 30 years of developments and upgrading, CM-TV has become a modern deep- water port cluster, with 22 projects in operation. The total length of berths is 9,947m. To the end of December 2020, there were 7 container port projects being put into operation with the design capacity of 6.8m TEU pa. In October 2020, the port received a vessels of 214,000 tons and became the first Vietnam’s port and the 19th port in the world capable of receiving super large mother ships. The total capacity of cargo going through the BR-VT port system in the period of 2016 - 2020 has had the growth of 10% annually. With continuously increasing amount of cargo, CM-TV is the only port cluster in Vietnam having direct mother vessels to Europe and America, even having the highest frequency of routes to the U.S in the Southeast Asia. It has belonged to a group of 50 sea ports with the world highest container capacity since 2019.

CM-TV port cluster is a natural wind sealed deep-water port, located near international maritime routes, has ability to receive large vessels

Despite impacts from the COVID-19 epidemic, according to Vietnam Maritime Authority, in the first 10 months of 2021, the total cargo through Vietnam ports estimatedly increased over 587m tons – a 2% increase year-over-year compared to 2020. It is noted that the container cargo has maintained the two digit growth with nearly 20.3m TEU- an increase of 12%. In BR-VT, the amount of container cargo through seaports reached 6.5m TEU- an increase of 22% year-over-year in 2020 and in the top of the four seaports nationwide with the most increasing amount of container cargo. From the data, it is obvious that seaports in BRVT, especially the CM-TV port cluster, have proved their importance in import-export activities in the Southern key economic zone.

In recent years, major shipping lines in the world such as 2M, Ocean Alliance and The Alliance all have service routes at Cai Mep. The ability to receive ships with a tonnage of over 200,000 tons is an advantage that helps CM-TV attract many major shipping lines in the world.

A representative of Saigon Newport Corporation said: “Currently, all ports in the CM-TV area ensure operating conditions and maritime safety conditions, and are able to receive ships of different tonnage, larger than the original design from 80,000DWT (in 2009) up to 200,000DWT at present. This is a very important factor creating the attractiveness and competitiveness of the port cluster. It is receiving large tonnage ships that CMTV becomes a bright spot on the international maritime map.”

Talking about the role of the CM-TV port cluster in the trade of goods between Vietnam and the world, Nguyen Xuan Ky - General Director of Cai Mep International Terminal Co., Ltd. (CMIT), said Cai Mep has contributed directly to the increase of competition ability of Vietnamese export in the world market. With the number of mother vessel routes arriving each week, there have been 31 routes going to major markets such as the U.S, Europe, and Asia. In which, there are 20 routes connecting Vietnam with the East and West coasts of the US, making CM-TV the area with the highest frequency of mother vessel routes to the US in Southeast Asia and at a high level in Asia. The U.S has been becoming Vietnam’s number one export market: 100% of cargo to the U.S of the southern key economic zone are being loaded and unloaded on mother vessels at CM-TV.

Catching up the trend of green port

In addition to its convenient location and the ability to receive vessels of large tonnage, CM-TV also attracts shipping lines by its green development criteria, minimizing impacts on environment in its operations is what these ports here are targeting.

In 2020, Tan Cang - Cai Mep Port (TCIT) of the CM-TV port cluster has won the Green Port award of the Asia Seaport Service Network Council. The award recognized the port’s efforts in environmental protection solutions. It is known that at TCIT port, the system of shore cranes, yard cranes ... are completely operated by electricity instead of diesel, which minimizes CO2 emissions to the environment. TCIT Port also constantly innovates equipment using clean energy and natural energy to further improve operational efficiency and protect the environment; replaces and uses LED bulbs on the entire system of shore cranes and yard cranes; develops a harmonic filter system to ensure a stable grid power system, and takes advantage of excess power from shore cranes to use as energy for offices, container yards and yard electricity systems...

The Green Port Award that TCIT received has contributed to enhancing the image and position of Vietnam’s seaport industry in the world. The trend of green port development at CM-TV port cluster is also in line with the Government’s orientation on studying and applying a model of seaport development and exploitation that balances environmental fluctuations and economic development needs of ports in the world as well as in Vietnam. And the development policy of the province for many years is also encouraging and selecting investors who pay attention to sustainable development and environmental protection.

For CM-TV’s commensurate developments with its potentials

In September 2021, Prime Minister just signed and promulgated Decision no. 1579/QD-TTg approving the master plan on development of Vietnam’s seaport system in the period of 2021 - 2030, vision to 2050. According to the plan, CMTV port cluster will be one of two special seaports of the country. This is the premise for CM-TV to promote its potential and advantages and soon become an international transshipment port.

For CM-TV port to have commensurate developments with its potential, it is necessary to implement synchronously many solutions both in terms of infrastructure and mechanisms and policies

In development orientation to 2030, BRVT province continues to identify seaports as one of the four economic pillars of the province. Important projects, which are the link to connect the Southern Key Economic Zone with the CM-TV deep-water port system as: Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway; Phuoc An bridge project, which is being rushed to complete the investment procedures for early deployment; inter-port routes as CM-TV, 991B, Phuoc Hoa - Cai Mep... connecting ports and industrial zones to the common transport system are also constructed synchronously with inter-regional traffic projects. BR-VT province is also working with the Ministry of Transport and related ministries to study and deploy a railway connecting the industrial parks and ports of the province to other provinces. When the multimodal transport infrastructure system is completed, inter-regional connectivity by road, rail and waterway will create a great advantage in attracting import and export cargo through the port.

Nguyen Xuan Ky- General Director of CMIT Port said: “For CM-TV port to have commensurate developments with its potential, it is necessary to implement synchronously many solutions both in terms of infrastructure and mechanisms and policies. One of the first things is to remove the current difficulties and limitations in terms of customs procedures to facilitate the transshipment of cargo in Cai Mep, such as simplifying procedures for customs brokers, export cargo in transshipment among ports in the same Cai Mep cluster, allowing port transfers for imported and transited goods… This will help reduce costs, increase efficiency and attract more goods transshipment in this area”.

Ky also said that CMIT Port has been investing in more equipment. In December, it will receive another large shore crane and be ready to operate at the beginning of the next year. This will help the port increase its exploitation capacity and prepare resources for Vietnam’s strong foreign trade growth potential in the coming time.

Hong Ut