VietNamNet Bridge – Cargoes from ports in Haiphong, Danang and Quy Nhon bound for Europe and the United States can be transported by foreign shipping lines for transshipment at the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port complex in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

The Ministry of Transport has allowed a few foreign shipping lines to operate on domestic routes to transport cargoes from northern and central ports to mother ships at the port complex. The decision of the transport ministry is seen as an effort to promote transshipment at the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port complex at a time regional transshipment points in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia are attracting shippers.

The effort will help attract more cargoes from northern and central regions to the southern complex, said Pham Van Binh, sales director of Oriental Logistics Vietnam Co. Ltd. In fact, goods from these regions have largely been transshipped in Singapore, Hong Kong or Malaysia for years, he remarked.

However, Binh said, whether commodities from the aforesaid regions arrive at Thi Vai-Cai Mep or not depends on shipping lines’ calculations. For instance, he noted, shipping companies will consider if transshipments in Cai Mep-Thi Vai for cargoes from Haiphong are more cost-effective than in Kaohsiung port in Taiwan or not.

Despite the concern, Binh insisted that this is good news to Cai Mep-Thi Vai port complex.

Cai Mep-Thi Vai as the international transshipment port of Vietnam, catering to mother ships directly heading to the EU and the U.S., has failed to attract cargoes from other areas of the country after over two years in operation. The majority of export shipments, especially cargo from central and northern provinces, bound for the long-haul markets are being transshipped in Singapore, Hong Kong or Kaohsiung.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Cong said transport of containers on domestic routes should be only for Vietnamese-flagged ships in line with local and international rules. However, due to the limited capacity of local fleets, the ministry has granted licenses to a few foreign shipping lines operating on local routes which allow them to collect cargo for transshipment activities.

Source: SGT