HCMC – The Ministry of Transport has approved a plan to establish a 1,200-meter-long berth for the Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT) and the Tan Cang – Cai Mep Thi Vai Terminal (TCTT) as proposed by the operators of the two ports.
The Ministry of Transport on April 13 sent an official dispatch to the Vietnamese Maritime Administration and the two port operators in the Cai Mep – Thi Vai area in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, namely the Tan Cang-Cai Mep Thi Vai One Member Limited Liability Company and the Cai Mep International Port Limited Liability Company, approving their study to establish a joint berth, reported the Vietnam News Agency.
The joint berth between CMIT and TCTT will enable the effective operation of the port infrastructure and make full use of the existing ports’ capacity.
This coordination will help attract large ships, reducing the wait time for ships to dock at the Cai Mep area to handle cargo.
The Ministry of Transport said that the study on connecting the two big ports in Ba Ria- Vung Tau Province aimed to encourage the research and application of measures to effectively operate and optimize using the infrastructure of the existing ports.
In the past few years, the Cai Mep area has seen an increase in cargo throughput, with a frequency of 33 ship calls per week. Of which, CMIT and TCTT received 14 ships every week.
The average size of ships docking at Cai Mep ports is increasing; with some even having a length of 400 meters. In the next few years, it is forecast that many new, larger ships will be put into service. At the same time, shipping lines will have a high demand for ship-to-ship cargo transfer.
Currently, each port has a 600-meter-long berth which can only receive a ship not longer than 350 meters. The remaining length of each berth can only be used for an additional barge or left vacant.
The connection of the two ports that will expand the berth’s length to 1,200 meters will enable the port operators to fully use the existing ports’ redundant capacity.
