Upon joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Vietnamese economy can be compared to a ship entering the ocean. A ship at sea does not change course in spite of the wind and waves. Therefore SNP, like other Vietnamese companies, must participate in a real "war" with numerous challenges, which require all parties to adapt to new situations to survive and develop. Given the numerous disadvantages in 2009 from the global economic crisis and sharp drop in ship calls, the company’s leaders adopted proper strategies to overcome those difficulties and created momentum for the port to extend its reach. Positive results and growth in the first months of 2010 confirmed the company’s sound policies.
In the first six months of 2010, Saigon Newport Corporation handled 1.35 million TEUs, equivalent to 18.2 million tonnes of containerised cargo, an increase of 22.6 percent from the same period in 2009 and accounting for 82.72 percent of the market share in Ho Chi Minh City. The Cat Lai Port alone handled 1.22 million TEUs, or 16.3 million tonnes of cargo, up 11.8 percent year on year. In July and August, cargo throughput at Cat Lai was stable at around 220,000 TEUs a month. In 2010, SNP expects to clear 2.8-2.9 million TEUs, or 40 million tonnes.
To achieve this target, Saigon Newport confidently adopted new management methods to gain initiative in capital sources and uphold internal sources, and invested in infrastructure for the sustainable development of the company. According to Deputy General Director Ngo Minh Thuan, apart from previously developed facilities like the 300-metre pier and 20-ha yard at Tan Cang – Cai Mep Container Terminal (TCCT), the 80-ha yard in TC- Long Binh ICD (out of 300 ha in total) and the Tan Cang - Hiep Phuoc, the company plans to inaugurate the Tan Cang Mien Trung in October. They expect to bring the Tan Cang trademark to the northern region in the next few years.
Mr Thuan said Saigon Newport has also focused investing in modern, specialized equipment and vehicles, and management technologies to boost service quality. This is one key to the success of the corporation during the past time. Investing in logistics services is also one of Saigon Newport’s concerns, because this drives the maritime economy and provides high added value.
Saigon Newport witnessed a remarkable event in this development history in September. Tan Cang - Cai Mep Container Terminal (TCCT) received the maiden call of CSAV Norasia shipping company. Nordwinter V.01034N ship is a part of ASIAM (Asia - America) service. CSAV, the biggest shipping line in Latin America and the 7th biggest worldwide, will deploy 11 vessels with capacity of 3,500 TEUs each on this weekly service, providing direct ocean freight service from Vietnam to the West Coast of America, bypassing transhipment stops in Singapore and Shanghai.
CSAV said it was making the most of booming trade between Vietnam and the United States by operating direct service between the two countries, connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Long Beach in 23 days. ASIAM service also includes several stops between South East Asia and India, enabling inbounds to be transported directly from India to Vietnam, creating favourable conditions for shippers and supporting the increased trade between the two countries.
CSAV Norasia is the 5th shipping line to call at TCCT after Zim Line and the three joint services of Mitsui O.S.K Lines (The New World Alliance), Hanjin (CKYH Alliance) and OOCL (Grand Alliance). Shipping firms said they chose TCCT, thanks to advantages in service quality and comprehensive facilities. The customers are now at hand to choose operation in any of SNP’s premises such as Tan Cang - Song Than ICD (Binh Duong province), Tan Cang – Long Binh ICD (Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai province) by land, as well as Tan Cang Terminal and Tan Cang - Cat Lai Terminal by waterway.
Soon after that, TCCT solemnly held a maiden call celebration for ZIM, inaugurating its first direct service from Vietnam to Israel and Europe. According to this shipping line, TCCT is now attracting more and more shipping lines and shippers thanks to its modern container handling equipment, state-of-the-art international terminal operations technology, and professional and dedicated staf.
Subsequent to many direct services from Vietnam to the United States since Cai Mep - Thi Vai deepwater port hub came into operation, ZIM took the lead in deploying direct service to Europe, which will be followed by many other shipping lines by the end of 2010. Cai Mep - Thi Vai deepwater port hub will consequently be even more active in the coming time.
Vietnam Business Forum
