Lack of breakwaters, concerns over billion-dollar wharf series being unsafe when put into operation

October 2024 put wharf No. 3 into operation

On March 19, according to Giao Thong Newspaper, up to this point, wharf No. 3, Vung Ang port with a total investment of nearly 1,000 billion VND invested by Lao - Viet International Port Joint Stock Company has been completed.

Wharfs No. 1 and No. 2 are overloaded as goods from Laos continuously pour in.

Here, items such as: dock, water area in front of the wharf, embankment under the wharf, cargo yard... have been completed. At this time, the construction units are urgently completing the remaining items such as renovating the port surface, building roads, and drainage systems.

Mr. Nguyen Trinh Cuong, Deputy Director of Lao - Viet International Port, said that the current volume of goods cleared through Lao - Viet port is approximately 3.6 million tons/year, far exceeding the initial design of ports No. 1 and No. 2 of 2.6 million tons/year.

"The demand for goods from various places pouring into Vung Ang port is quite high, especially potassium goods from Laos. Due to the narrow wharf system at wharfs 1 and 2, the unit has to share with Hon La (Quang Binh) and Cua Lo (Nghe An) ports...", Mr. Cuong informed.

According to Mr. Cuong, Vung Ang port number 3 is designed with a cargo capacity of nearly 2 million tons/year. It can accommodate ships up to 45,000 tons.

Wharfs No. 3 and No. 4 have basically completed the items and are expected to be put into operation by the end of this year.

"When wharf No. 3 of Vung Ang port is completed and put into operation, the volume of goods passing through Vung Ang port is expected to increase by about 2 - 3 million tons/year and may increase to 10 million tons. Of which, Laos' transit goods through the port will reach 40 - 50%," Mr. Cuong informed.

Right next to wharf number 3 is wharf number 4, invested by Hoanh Son Group Corporation, which is also completing the final items.

Port No. 4 has a total investment of nearly 1,500 billion VND, receiving ships with a capacity of up to 45,000 DWT, including main items: 330m long berth, cargo yard and logistics area.

"After a period of construction, up to now, the Hoanh Son International General Port project has completed over 90% of the volume. The company is determined to complete and put it into operation by the end of this year," informed the leader of Hoanh Son Group.

Concerns about ineffectiveness without sea dikes

According to Mr. Cuong, the operation of wharves No. 3 and No. 4 will create a solid foundation for infrastructure, attract more large shipping lines, international shipping routes as well as investors to Vung Ang Economic Zone as well as contribute to reducing the load on the overloaded wharves No. 1 and No. 2 system.

The new sea dike only covers wharf number 1 and part of wharf number 2.

However, the current concern is that the Vung Ang port breakwater (phase 1) with a length of about 370m only "covers" wharves 1 and 2.

"The existing breakwater is located to the north of wharfs 1 and 2. Putting wharfs 3 and 4 into operation will reduce the operational capacity and will not ensure safety for cargo handling if the sea breakwater (phase 2) has not been built yet," said Mr. Cuong.

In addition, the previously planned turning area location before wharf No. 2 only meets the needs of wharf No. 1 and No. 2. If the old turning area location is kept, it will not ensure safety when ships enter and exit the port.

It is known that the investment project of port No. 3, Vung Ang port, invested by Lao - Viet International Port Joint Stock Company, started construction in 2015, including the following items: Ship berth, water area in front of the wharf, wharf embankment, cargo yard, road system in the port and other technical infrastructure and auxiliary works.

Wharf No. 4 has a total investment of nearly 1,500 billion VND, invested by Hoanh Son Group Joint Stock Company, and can receive ships with a capacity of up to 45,000 DWT, including main items: 330m long berth, cargo yard and logistics area.

Vung Ang port cluster (Ha Tinh) has an ideal depth and a "golden" location on the international maritime corridor, planned to be a type I port in the Vietnamese seaport system by 2030. It is forecasted that in the coming time, Vung Ang Economic Zone will be "filled" with many projects, large industrial factories and the amount of transit goods from Laos, Thailand to third countries through Vung Ang port will be increasing.

This is an opportunity for seaport and logistics businesses to invest and promote seaport capacity, contributing to building Vung Ang into a logistics and seaport service center in the North Central region.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/thieu-de-chan-song-lo-ngai-loat-cau-cang-nghin-ty-mat-an-toan-khi-dua-vao-khai-thac-192240319182942498.htm