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| The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the inauguration of the 2nd phase of the Tien Sa Port expansion project |
Also, the Port is the Pacific gateway for the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC). In particular, the Port is the largest container port in the central region, ensuring smooth cargo transportation between countries along the EWEC route.
Thanks to its strategic geographic position, Da Nang is targeting to become a seaport city and an important transportation hub in the country, and the world as a whole, by 2020.
Since 2010, the Da Nang Port Joint Stock Company has given top priority to upgrading the infrastructure, modernising equipment for serving container and cruise ships, and boosting marketing activities.
In addition to receiving large-capacity container ships, the Port has welcomed an increasing number of domestic and foreign cruise ships in recent years, which has helped to promote the development of the tourism sector.
In 2015, the total volume of cargo transported through the Port hit a total of 6.4 million tonnes, up 3.1 million tonnes against 2010. The figure included 258,000 TEUs, a rise of 169,000 against 2010.
Recently, the growing volume of goods going through the port has reached an overload level, so the 2nd phase of the Tien Sa Port expansion project is considered as to be extremely vital.
On 31 July 2016, work started on the second phase of a project to expand the Tien Sa Port with the aim of developing Tien Sa Port into a modern container port in the central region.
The company’s General Director Nguyen Huu Sia said the upgrade project cost more than 1 trillion VND. In detail, 36% of the project's total cost came from the company's budget, whist 31% were loaned from credit establishments and 33% were raised from shareholders. The company has taken initiative to seek financial source to deploy the project instead of using the ODA to minimise risks and stay active in its financial plans.
In the financial mobilisation process, the Da Nang Port has received active supports from the Viet Nam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines), investment funds, and big banks for the project’s investment.
Since the start of the project, there has been a significant increase in the volume of goods being handled at the port, and the number of cruise ship arrivals.
Most notably, between January and June, the Port received a total of 551 container ship arrivals, and handled 4.05 million tonnes of cargo, representing a 6% rise compared with the same period last year.
The Port welcomed 71 cruise ship arrivals with a total of 107,381 passengers onboard, a jump of 36% against 2017. The increased presence of high-end cruise ships, such as Costa Atlantica and World Dream, has affirmed the port’s brand value in regional and global tourism maps.
On 28 July 2018, the 2nd phase of the Tien Sa Port expansion project was officially put into operation after two years of construction.
This Port is now able to receive 70,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) container ships, 4,000TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) container ships, and 150,000GT (gross tonnage) cruise ships, as well as handle over 600,000 TEUs per year.
Director Sia affirmed that goods would be loaded or unloaded into shipping containers safely and quickly, with an overall speed of 60 moves per hour.
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