Da Nang launches port upgrade

A cargo ship docks at Da Nang’s Tien Sa Port. - VNS Photo Cong Thanh

General Director of Da Nang Port Joint Stock Company Nguyen Huu Sia told Vietnam News that the second stage at Tien Sa Port had cost more than VND1 trillion (US$44.2 million), of which 36 per cent was funded by the company.

He said the second stage, which included two piers, would allow access to 70,000DWT (deadweight tonnage) ships, 4,000TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) container ships, and 150GT (gross tonnage) cruise ships.

Sia said the port was a key hub in central Vietnam and met international logistics standards in the region connecting the East-West Economic Corridor that links Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam.

According to the latest report, Tien Sa Port, 10km from the city centre, handled four million tonnes of cargo in the first six months this year, a 6.14 per cent increase in comparison with the same period last year.

The port received on average 23 ships from 15 shipping agencies per week.

The expanded port will help build it into a leading international commercial gateway in the ASEAN region by 2025.

The Tien Sa upgrade is the city’s second investment project which did not use Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds after the Hòa Liên Water refused non-refundable ODA funds from Japan.

According to the Ministry of Transport, Da Nang City’s port system, including Tien Sa, Lien Chieu and Son Tra, would handle 29 million tonnes of cargo by 2030.

The city and the port of Kawasaki in Japan have been planning to open a shipping route connecting the two ports.

Tien Sa Port will become a ‘valley’ of logistics, warehouses, transport and digital customer clearance services, besides housing representative offices of shipping companies and banks.

The port has operated as a limited company under the ownership of Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines) since 2008.