Upgrading 3.7 km of Hai Phong channel to accommodate 30,000 DWT ships

The Hai Phong waterway section approved for upgrade is 3.7 km long, starting from upstream of Nam Dinh Vu port to Nam Hai Dinh Vu port area.

A section of Hai Phong channel.

The Ministry of Transport has just sent an official dispatch to the People's Committee of Hai Phong City, the Vietnam Maritime Administration, and Vietnam Container Joint Stock Company (Viconship) regarding the upgrading of Hai Phong channel from the upstream of Nam Dinh Vu port to the Nam Hai Dinh Vu port area.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Transport approved the policy of upgrading Hai Phong channel from upstream of Nam Dinh Vu port to Nam Hai Dinh Vu port area as proposed by Viconship and agreed by the Maritime Administration.

The Ministry of Transport assigned the Vietnam Maritime Administration to guide, direct and supervise investors in implementing the project to ensure full compliance with the provisions of the law on construction investment, investment, natural resources and environment, minerals and relevant provisions of law (note to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment Report to submit to competent authorities for approval), ensure maritime security and safety, fire prevention and fighting and environmental protection.

The Vietnam Maritime Administration is responsible for working specifically with the investor on the responsibility for paying the cost of adjusting the maritime signal system to serve the upgrading of the channel section; the contents of the maritime safety assurance fee according to the provisions of law, ensuring that it does not affect maritime safety and the efficiency of seaport operations in the area, does not affect the costs and revenue of the State budget, and does not generate complaints or lawsuits from seaport operators in the area.

Viconship must commit to the responsibility of implementing the basic design, detailed design, environmental impact assessment, submitting it to the competent authority for review and appraisal according to regulations and promptly handling incidents with the channel section and related works during the dredging and upgrading process and during the initial exploitation of the channel section; funding for adjusting the maritime signal system to serve the channel section upgrade.

This unit also did not request the Ministry of Transport to allocate funds for dredging and maintaining the shipping channel.

Previously, Viconship had sent a document requesting the Ministry of Transport to allow upgrading the Hai Phong shipping channel (section from upstream of Nam Dinh Vu port to Nam Hai Dinh Vu port area).

The proposed upgraded channel section is about 3.7 km long (belonging to Bach Dang channel section from Km31+200 to Km34+900); the channel width remains the same as announced; the channel bottom is dredged to an elevation of -8.5m according to the nautical chart (the current standard is -7.2m); the dredged volume is about 350,000 m3.

Dredged materials will be stored in the onshore area as announced by Hai Phong City People's Committee with a reserve of about 1.16 million m3 (not combined with product recovery).

The total implementation cost is about 84 billion VND from Viconship's capital and is implemented by the Company itself; the preparation time for implementation is from 2024 and completion is early 2025.

Viconship representative said that following the development trend of the size of sea transport vessels in recent years, the size of ships entering Dinh Vu port area has increased three times compared to before, the common tonnage of ships today is about 30,000 DWT with a common reduced draft of about 8.5 m.

However, Hai Phong channel has a depth of only about -7 m (nautical chart system), reducing exploitation efficiency for ports in Dinh Vu wharf area with planned ship size up to 20,000 DWT.

Ships with a draft of over 8.5 m must anchor outside buoy “0” for about 8 hours on average and must also reduce cargo load, thereby increasing port freight rates, increasing import and export costs, reducing output and revenue of the Hai Phong seaport area and affecting the production and supply chain.

According to the association of transport businesses, operating small ships is increasingly difficult due to high freight rates, so upgrading to larger ships is essential.

In addition to exporting goods to the US and European markets by large mother ships, most of the raw materials are transported to Vietnam from East Asian and North Asian countries, so exploitation by ships of 30,000 DWT is very popular, not only in Hai Phong area but also suitable for ports in North Asia region.

When upgrading Hai Phong channel, Dinh Vu port area can receive large ships with a capacity of up to 3,000 TEU, contributing to increasing socio-economic development benefits.

In fact, the Hai Phong shipping route currently has a very high density of ships navigating on the channel (about 80-90 ships/day and night), the waiting time for enough water for ships to navigate is short (on average about 5 hours per day), while the channel operates in a 1-lane mode.

Therefore, to ensure immediate exploitation needs, dredging deeper channels to increase ship draft, reduce ship waiting time, and increase cargo volume through channels and ports is necessary.

Currently, Nam Dinh Vu Port Joint Stock Company has upgraded the Hai Phong channel from the turning area of Hai Phong international container port to Nam Dinh Vu port area (from Km20+660 to Km31+200) to an elevation of -8.5m (nautical chart system) and will be completed in July 2024.

“From the above analysis, it is appropriate to continue researching and upgrading the Hai Phong shipping channel (from the upstream of Nam Dinh Vu port to Nam Hai Dinh Vu port area) in Dinh Vu wharf area to an elevation of -8.5m (nautical chart system)”, said a representative of Viconship.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/nang-cap-37-km-luong-hai-phong-de-don-tau-trong-tai-30000-dwt-d226804.html