Over 128.4 million tonnes of cargo were handled through Viet Nam’s seaports in the first quarter of this year, up 7% annually, according to the Viet Nam Maritime Administration (VMA).

At Dinh Vu port in Hai Phong (Source: VNA)

Of the figure, container cargos hit nearly 4.1 million TEUs.

Trinh The Cuong, head of the VMA’s transportation and maritime services office attributed the high cargo volume going through the country’s seaports to the increase in imports and exports.

During the period, Viet Nam’s exports hit 58.51 billion USD, while imports neared 58 billion USD, up 4.7% and 8.9%, respectively.

Cuong said cargo via seaports will hike in the near future as a number of major shipping firms, such as Maersk and SITC, launched new service routes in seaports in Hai Phong, Da Nang, and Cai Mep-Thi Vai.

On 11 April, the Hai Phong International Container Terminal welcomed mother vessel Northern Jaguar deployed by Ocean Network Express.

With a capacity of more than 8,800 TEUs, the vessel provides direct services from the north of Viet Nam to the west coast of the US and Canada. Its service will cut down freight time from Hai Phong to the US and Canada as the previous route called in at overseas transshipment hubs, reducing the journey from 25 down to 17 days, thus attracting more transit cargo, Cuong said.

(Source: VNA)