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Technical Report No. 8 PORT AND SHIPPING

Technical Report No. 8 PORT AND SHIPPING

Technical Report No. 8 PORT AND SHIPPING

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I-3-23<br />

Vietnam National Transport Strategy Study (VITRANSS)<br />

<strong>Technical</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>No</strong>. 8<br />

Shipping and Ports<br />

The port of Hai Phong handles about 20% of total container transport in<br />

Vietnam. However, port equipment for cargo operation at this conventional<br />

port do not allow for a smooth container operation.<br />

In the central area of Hai Phong port, there are two berths available for<br />

container operation out of the total 14 berths. However, shore cranes can<br />

only carry five to 16 tons. At Chua Ve berth, which has a 300 m LOA and 7.0<br />

m depth, shore cranes can accommodate as much as 10 to 40 tons, making<br />

it more suitable for container operation.<br />

Given these port capacities, usual container operations are being handled<br />

mainly by the vessel’s cargo gears, which, however, result in inefficient<br />

operation and slow dispatch of vessels. Rehabilitation of cargo handling<br />

equipment is therefore a major issue not only for container operation but also<br />

for conventional cargo operation. One of the Vietnamese leading shipping<br />

companies with a registered homeport in Hai Phong, reported that in 1998<br />

alone the company suffered from demurrage (costs for extra stay) of 1,122<br />

days from the operation of their 21 general cargo vessels. This is mainly<br />

caused by waiting for high tide and their turn for cargo loading/unloading.<br />

Rehabilitation of port facilities and dredging of river channels are therefore<br />

other key aspects that need to be improved for better port and shipping<br />

operations.<br />

Operational Efficiency<br />

Vietnamese seagoing vessels and coastal shipping vessels are generally<br />

comprised of old (average of 21 years) and small-size vessels, except for some<br />

specialized cargo vessels. Major ports in Vietnam are still not well equipped with<br />

cargo-handling machines, such as gantry or shore crane on wharves, and some<br />

are too obsolete to be used.<br />

Thus, shipping vessels are often forced to operate cargo from berth or anchor<br />

using obsolete cargo gears for cargo loading and discharging, to and from<br />

wharves or floating barges alongside their ships. This system is neither efficient<br />

nor quick and prolongs the vessels’ stay at the port. The situation is different,<br />

however, at HCMC’s Tan Can Port which has a substantial number of containers.<br />

Here, cargoes are unloaded directly to barges and forwarded to the ICD. The<br />

problem though is that the ship’s responsibility for cargoes cover only up to their<br />

delivery to the ICD.<br />

Another problem affecting shipping operations is the insufficient water depth of<br />

the access channel to the main ports, particularly in the north. Vessels have to<br />

wait for high tide before they can approach or depart from the port, further<br />

decreasing the ship’s productivity. One of the leading state-owned shipping<br />

companies reported that in 1998, they suffered from demurrage at an average of

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