New Vietnam Terminal Opens

Three Asian container lines formally opened a container terminal Wednesday in Cai Mep, the port that serves Vietnam’s industrial heartland.

The Tan Cang Cai Mep International Terminal, a joint venture among Hanjin Shipping, MOL and Wan Hai Lines together with local state-owned partner Saigon New Port, has been under development since 2009.

The new terminal was built on approximately 85 acres on the basin of the Cai Mep River 32 miles down-river from Ho Chi Minh City, the center of the country’s growing economy.

With a depth of 52 feet, the terminal can accommodate mega-vessels. Its two berths with a combined 1,936 feet of quay length have an annual capacity of up to 1.15 million 20-foot equivalent units of containers.

By The Numbers: Asia-Europe Westbound Container Traffic

The terminal, which has been in operation since Jan. 4, has already been handling calls by vessels on trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe services and expects more to come.

The new terminal is one of six new container terminals that have opened in the last three years or are under construction at ports near Ho Chi Minh City to handle the growing volume of Vietnam’s trade.

“We are expecting a lot from this new dedicated terminal in Vietnam as it will soon become a major logistics hub in the region,” said Se-Hwa Jung, chief executive of Hanjin Shipping’s Terminal Business Unit. “Many of major carriers as ourselves are investing in Intra-Asia and we believe having a dedicated terminal will help us make stronger presence in the market.”

-- Contact Peter T. Leach at pleach@joc.com.