CONSTRUCTION of Vietnam's newest container port, the Cai Mep International Terminal Co Ltd (CMIT) container facility, commenced following ceremonies onboard a vessel overlooking the site.
The new container handling facility located on the Cai Mep River in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province's Tan Thanh District will have an annual handling capacity of 1.1 million TEU, 600 metres of berths and equipped with six cranes when it opens in late 2010.
CMIT will offer shipping lines and their clients direct access to and from key trade markets in Asia, Europe and the Americas. CMIT general director Michael Them Rasmussen said the company would build one of the largest and most modern container facilities in Southeast Asia.
"Investment in infrastructure, and particularly the timely development of modern and efficient facilities such as this, will be an important part of Vietnam's ongoing and remarkably rapid economic growth," Mr Rasmussen said according to a VietNamNet Bridge report.
CMIT had earlier signed a design-build contract with Korean joint venture Posco-Ecsamwhan Corp last month for the new facility.
Cai Mep International Terminal Co Ltd was established in January 2007, as a joint venture between the Saigon Port, Viet Nam National Shipping Lines and APM Terminals.
In a related development, Ho Chi Minh City Vice Mayor Nguyen Thi Hong is calling on customs to take swift action to remedy delayed deliveries of imported goods at the city's port by June 15 at the latest.
He ordered the city's customs office to review the situation at Vietnam International Container Terminals (VICT) Port in District 7 and Cat Lai Port in District 2 and expedite transfer, reports Thanh Nien News.
This comes amid reports that the delivery of imported goods have been blocked at the two ports for days, with local exporters struggling to get their products into the already-full ports, adding costs to local companies.
The daily fee for a TEU and FEU at VICT Port is US$1.60 and $2.40 respectively, while an empty is charged between $0.80 and $1.20 a day.
Customs officials said the port infrastructure, including container-moving equipment, could not keep up with the increase in the number of shipments, the report added.
The new container handling facility located on the Cai Mep River in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province's Tan Thanh District will have an annual handling capacity of 1.1 million TEU, 600 metres of berths and equipped with six cranes when it opens in late 2010.
CMIT will offer shipping lines and their clients direct access to and from key trade markets in Asia, Europe and the Americas. CMIT general director Michael Them Rasmussen said the company would build one of the largest and most modern container facilities in Southeast Asia.
"Investment in infrastructure, and particularly the timely development of modern and efficient facilities such as this, will be an important part of Vietnam's ongoing and remarkably rapid economic growth," Mr Rasmussen said according to a VietNamNet Bridge report.
CMIT had earlier signed a design-build contract with Korean joint venture Posco-Ecsamwhan Corp last month for the new facility.
Cai Mep International Terminal Co Ltd was established in January 2007, as a joint venture between the Saigon Port, Viet Nam National Shipping Lines and APM Terminals.
In a related development, Ho Chi Minh City Vice Mayor Nguyen Thi Hong is calling on customs to take swift action to remedy delayed deliveries of imported goods at the city's port by June 15 at the latest.
He ordered the city's customs office to review the situation at Vietnam International Container Terminals (VICT) Port in District 7 and Cat Lai Port in District 2 and expedite transfer, reports Thanh Nien News.
This comes amid reports that the delivery of imported goods have been blocked at the two ports for days, with local exporters struggling to get their products into the already-full ports, adding costs to local companies.
The daily fee for a TEU and FEU at VICT Port is US$1.60 and $2.40 respectively, while an empty is charged between $0.80 and $1.20 a day.
Customs officials said the port infrastructure, including container-moving equipment, could not keep up with the increase in the number of shipments, the report added.