HCMC – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has committed to aiding the HCMC Customs Department in carrying out the second phase of a project to reduce the congestion and facilitate trade at the HCMC-based Cat Lai Port, which has been ranked 34th globally by import-export activities and accounts for 77% of the total throughput in the city.
This was revealed by a USAID representative at a press teleconference held on September 15 to report the preliminary results of a survey of the project at Cat Lai Port.
The two sides will generally assess the efficiency of the port and point out some obstacles facing the customs clearance process, according to the office of the municipal department.
Some solutions and strategies, including rebuilding or expanding facilities, will be presented after the assessment.
The project is aimed at shortening the time taken to complete all procedures at the port and reducing logistics costs for firms, helping strengthen bilateral trade between the United States and Vietnam.
Addressing the event, Michael Greene, director of USAID Vietnam, said that the project will be carried out widely, adding that USAID pledged to support the department in the process, according to Thanh Nien Online.
The HCMC Customs Department has deployed the project since 2019 to streamline procedures for the delivery of goods at Cat Lai Port, apply information technology to cut the time taken to complete procedures and ease congestion at the port. The project is also expected to improve the national competitiveness.
Cat Lai Port handled over five million TEUs in 2019, making up half of the total output in the south and serving 13,000-14,000 containers per day.
By Tam An
