Seaports welcome opportunities from supply chain shifts

TCTT Port welcomes new shipping route of COSCO/OOCL shipping line in March 2025.

Gradually asserting its role in the global supply chain

According to the Vietnam Maritime Administration, in the first 4 months of 2025, the total volume of goods through the Vietnamese seaport system reached more than 342 million tons; of which container cargo reached more than 10 million TEUs, up 6% over the same period. Notably, Ba Ria - Vung Tau led the country with a growth rate of more than 31% in container volume. This is not only an impressive growth figure but also shows the increasingly enhanced position of the CM-TV port cluster in the Asia-Pacific logistics network.

Tan Cang Cai Mep International Terminal (TCIT) in April 2025 recorded the event of receiving 2 more service routes connecting to Asian ports. According to Mr. Nguyen Hong Phuc, TCIT Business Director, this clearly shows the trend of shifting from traditional transit ports such as Singapore and Hong Kong to ports in CM-TV, which have strategic locations and shorter travel times to key industrial parks in the South.

Gemalink also achieved a production growth of more than 27% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year. The continuous opening of service routes to Europe and America has helped Gemalink not only increase cargo volume but also enhance its role in the global supply chain.

Similarly, SSIT port also operated at full capacity in April, after the news that the US had temporarily suspended the imposition of reciprocal tariffs on goods exported from Vietnam for 90 days. “The number of bookings from shipping lines to the US increased sharply. We had to organize night operations to meet the demand,” said Mr. Phan Hoang Vu, General Director of SSIT.

The IRENES RAINBOW, a vessel on the KTX2 route operated by OOCL, has just docked at TCIT port. This route connects Vietnam with key Asian markets such as Thailand, Japan and China.

Need a national strategy to "reach out to the ocean"

The big plus point of the ports in the CM-TV area comes from the increasingly complete infrastructure system. The acceleration of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway, Phuoc An bridge, DT994 coastal road and a series of important traffic axes have helped to significantly shorten the time to transport goods from the port to industrial parks in and outside the province.

In addition, many ports in the cluster have invested heavily in automation technology, modern port management software and digital infrastructure, helping to increase operational efficiency. The rate of on-time port arrivals and loading and unloading productivity are rated by international shipping lines as among the highest in the ASEAN region.

Mr. Pham Quoc Long, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Maritime Agents, Brokers and Services, said that the synchronization between services - infrastructure - technology has created a distinct competitive advantage for the CM-TV port cluster in the race to attract international transit goods, especially from landlocked countries such as Laos, Cambodia or the Northeast region of Thailand.

However, port experts say that for the CM-TV port cluster to truly become an international transit hub, a comprehensive national strategy is needed, connecting infrastructure planning, logistics, investment attraction policies and procedural reform.

Specifically, it is necessary to study the establishment of a "Free Trade Zone" or "International Transit Port" following the Singapore model, in order to create a specific mechanism on tax, customs, and quarantine to attract transit goods from the region.

At the same time, it is necessary to develop large-scale logistics centers associated with ports, invest in cold storage systems, inspection, processing and packaging centers to increase service value.

The picture of seaports in early 2025 in Ba Ria - Vung Tau has many bright colors. To maintain the growth rate and reach the role of an international transit center, there needs to be direction from a national vision. Only with a "conductor" can the CM-TV port cluster join forces and operate synchronously between port exploitation, connecting infrastructure and logistics services. At that time, Ba Ria - Vung Tau will not only play the role of an import-export gateway, but will truly become the "heart" of maritime transport in the region, where goods converge, redistribute internationally and create high added value for the economy.

Article and photos: TRA NGAN

Source: https://baobariavungtau.com.vn/kinh-te/202505/cang-bien-don-co-hoi-tu-chuyen-dich-chuoi-cung-ung-1042321/