New seaports planned for southern provinces

New seaports planned for southern provinces (29-08-2006) Goods are unloaded at the Viet Nam-Singapore Joint Venture VICT Port in HCM City. More port facilities are planned for southern provinces to meet the demand for sea transport. — VNA/VNS Photo Ha Thai HCM CITY — The Viet Nam Seaports Association has announced a plan to develop terminal facilities in several southern localities to meet increased demand for seaborne transportation once the nation joins the WTO. The plan calls for port facilities along the Sai Gon River to be moved out of the city centre within the next fifteen years, and for new port systems to be built. The Sai Gon Central Container Port Company has invested in the US$249 million Sai gon Premier Container Terminal with a capacity to handle up to 30 million tonnes of cargo a year, making it the largest port in the south. The facility is to be constructed on a 40 hectare site in the Hiep Phuoc industrial zone, located 10km from downtown HCM City. Phan Hong Quan, general director of the Tan Thuan Industrial Promotion Company, one of the investors of the project, said the port would become an international gateway for Viet Nam when it joins the WTO. Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province is now waiting for government approval for two new seaport investment projects: the Cai Mep Container Port and Thi Vai General Port, with combined investment of over $350 million. The province also announced plans to upgrade its existing Ben Nghe, Rach Ong,…