Vietnam has launched the first phase of the Tan Cang-Hiep Phuoc seaport located alongside the Saigon Premier Container Terminal in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), designed to cut transportation time and cost by using the Soai Rap channel instead of the Long Tau channel.
The Tan Cang-Hiep Phuoc port began operating in December 2014 with the arrival of the first container ship, Saigon Bridge.
It is seen to help shipping lines shorten travel distance by nearly 30 kilometers by using the Soai Rap channel, which can save up to two hours in transit time and reduce fuel costs by half.
It is also geared to supplement and help reduce overload at Cat Lai Port. At the same time, Tan Cang-Hiep Phuoc has a bigger capacity, able to accommodate ships of 50,000 deadweight tons, while Cat Lai can only receive ships of 30,000 DWT.
The new terminal is located in the heart of the proposed seaport area Hiep Phuoc Port Urban Area in HCMC. With its strategic location, Tan Cang-Hiep Phuoc is planned to connect the entire southern area of Vietnam, thus speeding up the circulation of goods and realizing cost savings for enterprises in the area, especially for those in the Long Hau industrial Park.
The Hiep Phuoc seaport system is made up of a cluster of seaports which serves the Southern Key Economic Region of Vietnam, namely, the Saigon Premier Container Terminal, Tan Cang-Hiep Phuoc, and Saigon-Hiep Phuoc.
Once completed, the Tan Cang-Hiep Phuoc port will feature a wharf length of 420 meters, four transfer stations, 150,000 square meters of container yard and internal roads, an 8,580-square-meter warehouse area, and occupied area of 6,010 square meters.
Construction is divided into two phases. The first phase now in operation has a wharf length of 300 meters, barge dock of 250 meters, and a container yard and internal roads measuring 120,000 square meters.
The second phase of the project is expected to be completed in June 2015.
Photo courtesy of Long Hau Industrial Park
