Potential for maritime transport development

In addition to the formation of a seaport network, connecting with inland areas allows our country's sea and coastal areas to be able to transport imported goods to all parts of the country quickly and conveniently.

Connecting seaports

Binh Thuan has a coastline of 192 km, is one of the three fishing grounds with the largest seafood output in the country. With its strength in the sea, in recent years, the province has been investing in building and developing the marine economy and maritime transport. Accordingly, the investment in upgrading the province's seaports is basically according to the plan to meet the requirements of industrialization, modernization, integration and international competition of the country and the province.

Binh Thuan currently has Phu Quy Port: A general port with complete basic construction investment (wharf, embankment, breakwater, warehouse...), serving the needs of transportation and fishing logistics, is the main gateway connecting the island district with the mainland. Currently, the province is organizing the construction and renovation of Phu Quy Port breakwater (oriented to 2030, upgrading the capacity of Phu Quy Port to receive 5,000 DWT ships, connecting with Phan Thiet Port and Vinh Tan Port).

Phan Thiet Port.

The breakwater at Phu Quy Port is under renovation.

Phan Thiet Transport Port is invested in the form of socialization, has completed the items to serve the reception of passenger ships on the Phan Thiet - Phu Quy route, put into operation since February 2018, including 2 1,000 DWT cargo wharves and 2 passenger wharves. Vinh Tan International Port has put into operation 2 wharves, of which: 3,000 DWT berth started operating since April 2017 and 50,000 DWT berth inaugurated in April 2019, receiving ships with a capacity of 30,000 DWT. Son My Port is in the investment phase, recently the Provincial People's Committee approved the investment policy and approved the investor for the Son My LNG Port Warehouse project in Son My commune, Ham Tan district. The port has the function of directly serving Son My Industrial Park, Son My LNG warehouse and Son My Power Center. There are liquid/gas terminals, general terminals, passenger terminals suitable for liquid/gas cargo ships with a capacity of up to 150,000 tons; general and bulk cargo ships with a capacity of up to 100,000 tons, and international passenger ships. When implemented, the project will directly contribute to the sustainable energy development of Vietnam in general and Binh Thuan province in particular, especially through business activities related to the development of the LNG liquefied gas industry. In particular, the project will help protect the environment with clean, safe, flexible energy sources and provide effective energy solutions at reasonable costs to Vietnamese individuals and organizations with high energy needs.

Unloading goods at Vinh Tan Port. Photo: D.Hoa

Modern fleet of transport

Along with that, Binh Thuan has formed and developed a fleet of passenger and cargo transport between the mainland and Phu Quy Island in a modern direction. The fleets are invested with increasingly high quality, reasonable structure, safety, energy saving, ensuring smooth operation; many ships regularly have plans to ensure the ability to connect to the mainland in case of long-term bad weather. It is known that the province is continuing to call on businesses to invest in means of transport on this route to better serve the needs of people and tourists. Currently, there are daily trips including trips to Phu Quy and to Phan Thiet, meeting the needs of people for transporting goods and traveling.

Logistics service vessel at Phan Thiet Transport Port

On the waterway from Phan Thiet to Phu Quy Island, there are 5 high-speed boats operating, including: Superdong - Phu Quy I, Superdong - Phu Quy II, Phu Quy Express, Tuan Chau Express II, Trung Trac; the capacity of the boats ranges from 250 to nearly 600 passengers. In addition, there are 4 cargo boats including: Tuan Tu 45 (872.5 tons), Quan Trung (482.5 tons), Quan Trung 02 (482.5 tons), Binh Minh 79 (909.8 tons) and 2 logistics service boats including Quoc Khang, Phu Quy 16 and other boats. With the socialization of waterway traffic, investment in modern passenger and cargo boats, the travel and transportation of goods for people and tourists has been shortened. The combination of Phan Thiet Transport Port and Phu Quy Port meets the needs of transporting, importing and exporting goods, improving transport capacity, reducing logistics costs, contributing to improving the competitiveness of the economy, helping to remove "bottlenecks" in foreign traffic, promoting socio-economic development of the province and neighboring provinces in the South Central and Central Highlands regions.

It can be said that the potential for maritime transport development in Binh Thuan is relatively large. Once it is built, planned, operated and exploited well, it is possible to become a strong coastal province and get rich from the sea.

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