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May 10, 2018 / 10:15

Cai Mep proposed to be unique port for EU, US markets

The Cai Mep Port is proposed to be the only port for exporting local goods to the European Union and the United States, and vise verse, for importing goods from the two markets to Vietnam.

Under a proposal sent to the General Department of Customs, the Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT), which manages the Cai Mep Port, said that it is necessary to control goods in the port areas to avoid wasting the deep sea port. This could reduce logistics costs to enhance competitiveness for Vietnam’s exports, as goods would be directly transported to the vessels, instead of transshipment to other countries.
 
The Cai Mep Port received Margrethe Maersk container ship last year
The Cai Mep Port received Margrethe Maersk container ship last year
According to CMIT, Cai Mep Port has received 13 container ships sailing from Vietnam directly to the east and west coasts of the US, two direct vessels to Europe and five others to Asia in a week. Some two container ships at Cai Mep Port are transporting Vietnamese imported and exported goods to the US per day and twice a week to the Europe.
Notably, CMIT is the first port at Cai Mep to pilot successfully the Vietnam Automated Cargo and Port Consolidated System (VNACCS/VCIS). The system has benefited not only customs offices and businesses but also transport firms, importers and exporters.
The efforts of the customs sector and the port are aimed at improving the service quality to ensure customs clearance processes are conducted quickly and conveniently. This will also help reduce the fees and administrative procedures at Cai Mep Port.
CMIT said the VNACCS/VCIS would help improve the competitiveness at the port and facilitate its target to become an international terminal.
The Cai Mep–Thi Vai port complex ranks among the top ports in Southeast Asia and is one of the only 19 in the world that can handle 190,000 dead weight tonnage vessels. 
Last year, Margrethe Maersk container ship with the deadweight of 194,000 tons and capacity of 18,300 TEU docked at Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT), making it the first seaport in Vietnam and the nineteenth in the world able to accommodate the world’s largest Maersk Triple E class container ship.
The event marked a memorable point of the Vietnam’s maritime industry affirming the position of Cai Mep-Thi Vai seaport complex in the world in international shipping transit operations. The ship was on its way to transport goods from Asia and Europe, docking at Cai Mep to load and straightly transport Vietnamese goods to Europe. 
According to Vietnam’s seaport development plan by 2020 approved by the Prime Minister in 2014, Cai Mep container seaport complex comprising CMIT, Tan Cang Cai Mep Thi Vai Terminal (TCTT) and SP-SSA International Terminal (SSIT) in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau is the deep seaport complex and international entrance gateway of Vietnam. They can handle vessels of 100,000 tons.
Up to 30 percent of Vietnam’s container goods exported to European markets must be transit in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia increasing transport time and costs for many years.
In June 2011, the Prime Minister instructed relevant sides to focus on investing in container seaports in Cai Mep area to develop the area into the southern international entrance gateway, meeting cargo export import to far markets and performing the role of international transit role.
Six years after the first container wharf of Cai Mep seaports came into operation, the volume of container goods via the complex reached 1.36 million TEU in 2015. The number was up 47 percent in the following year to top two millions TEU.