14/02/2022
U&I Logistics - On January 7, the Government Office issued a notice that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh agreed to assign the Ministry of Finance to assume the prime responsibility for and coordinate with the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau and relevant agencies to conduct a pilot study exploring mechanism and policy of "open system" around Cai Mep international container port cluster, and submit to the competent authorities in the second quarter of 2022.
The policy of "open system" is proposed to solve the problems Cai Mep - Thi Vai is facing. The first is that the container terminals are scatteredly and most of them are limited in length of the pier (average 600m berth/port) while the size of ships docking in Cai Mep area is growing, with the vessel length is increasing up to 400m. Currently, each port can only receive one mother vessel.
Not only that, each port at Cai Mep is a border gate, causing customers and container shipping companies to carry out customs procedures to transfer goods around Cai Mep port cluster. Due to the long time to complete customs clearance procedures and high logistics costs, shipping companies are very hesitant to increase transshipment at this port area.
Not to mention, amid COVID-19 pandemic, Cai Mep was under pressure to keep the supply chain from being disrupted because the need to connect goods between ships docked at different ports in Cai Mep port area is very high. Thus, the fact that the berths in the same port cluster support each other to receive ships, load, and unload goods, is considered the best measure.
The "open system" mechanism linking exploitation and movement of goods between ports in the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area will optimize the exploitation capacity and make the most of each other's berths, solving the limitations of each other, reducing shipping costs.
Vietnam Maritime Corporation (VIMC) estimates that if two adjacent ports are connected, a third berth in the middle can be exploited and increase the capacity of the two ports by 50% by about 1.2 million TEU/year. If the connection solution between Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT) and Tan Cang - Cai Mep Thi Vai Port (TCTT) is successfully implemented, each year CMIT alone will increase its revenue by about 20 million USD.
As a result, goods are smoothly connected between ports, means of transport do not have to wait for piers, and the turnover rate is high. It is expected that when the "open system" solution is implemented, the cost of barge transportation services will be reduced by 10-15%, saving about 15 million USD per year.
Despite shortcomings, Cai Mep - Thi Vai container port cluster has various outstanding advantages, taking on the role of a trade gateway and an important international transshipment port of Vietnam's seaport system. Therefore, not only the Government but also the container shipping companies are eager with the "open system" to connect infrastructure so that they can deploy bigger ships and take advantage of direct service routes at competitive costs compared with other ports in the country and in the region.
From the perspective of import/export businesses, when the "open system" is implemented, Cai Mep - Thi Vai becomes the first choice because it can directly connect goods to US and European ports without transshipment at other ports in the region, decreasing time and costs.
Therefore, Cai Mep - Thi Vai port cluster needs to be researched and quickly piloted an "open system" solution, enhancing routes to receive multiple mother vessels at the same time, minimizing shipping costs. At the same time, develop industrial parks in the port area and increase logistics, depot, and warehouse service centers to contribute to improving the competitiveness of this port cluster with the international market in the future.
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