Dung Quat Port has not yet exploited its full potential.

Despite having the advantage of a deep-water port, Dung Quat port has not fully exploited its potential due to limited and inconsistent investment resources from the state budget, failing to meet development needs and attract investment.

The needs for import and export of goods have not yet been met.

Dung Quat Port is a national Class I seaport, covering an area of over 1,000 hectares, with a depth of 21 meters and not dependent on tides, which is a great advantage for receiving and transporting goods. However, the volume of goods imported and exported through Dung Quat Port is not large.

Speaking with a reporter from the Investment Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Phong, Director of the Department of Transport of Quang Ngai province, said that the logistics system has only been able to handle some basic stages and has not yet taken on the role of a center for receiving, storing, and distributing goods. Furthermore, maritime infrastructure is limited, with narrow channels and limited depth, while the tonnage of ships arriving at and departing from ports is increasing.

"Almost all ports have shipping channel standards that are not in line with the required scale of the berths, thus failing to attract shippers and ship owners, and severely limiting the capacity of the port system," Mr. Phong shared.

According to the revised master plan for 2020, with a vision to 2030, Dung Quat port has 14 main berths included in the plan for investment and construction, aiming to become a large-scale and modern seaport. However, after many years of investment, only 8 berths have been put into operation so far, while the remaining 6 berths in the plan still remain "on paper".

According to observations by reporters from the Investment Newspaper, besides the bustling port areas such as the port of the Petroleum Services Joint Stock Company, the Hoa Phat Dung Quat general and container port, the port of Gemadept International Port Joint Stock Company, and the port of Hao Hung Quang Ngai One-Member Limited Liability Company, the remaining areas of some planned ports are still deserted, with many places yet to be cleared.

The leader of a port investment company in Dung Quat shared that, due to objective reasons, the volume of import and export container cargo in Quang Ngai province is not yet high, so shipping companies have not been able to open domestic or international container transshipment routes. Therefore, to unload goods, businesses in Quang Ngai have to use seaports outside the province, increasing transportation costs.

"Quang Ngai seaports in general, and Dung Quat seaport in particular, have not been invested in to keep pace with the import and export needs of businesses in the province. This will be a major obstacle to the development of the Dung Quat Economic Zone and industrial parks in the province," Mr. Nguyen Phong frankly acknowledged.

Appropriate investment is needed.

Speaking to the Investment Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Trinh, representative of Hoa Phat General Port Joint Stock Company, said that Dung Quat seaport lacks capacity, and the current state of the wharves there does not meet the cargo tonnage requirements.

"Dung Quat Port needs more investment in berths, expanding berths 4 and 5, and opening access routes for container ships to receive cargo. Along with that, further investment in warehouses and upgrading transportation infrastructure is necessary to create opportunities for development," Mr. Trinh expressed his opinion.

In addition, Mr. Trinh informed that Hoa Phat General Port Joint Stock Company is currently carrying out procedures to adjust the planning of pier No. 8 and expects that this pier can be put into operation by 2026, contributing to improving the cargo transportation needs of businesses.

Mr. Nguyen Phong pointed out that the reason Dung Quat port has not fully exploited its potential is due to limited and inconsistent investment resources from the budget, failing to meet development needs and attract investment. According to him, currently, Quang Ngai's connecting infrastructure basically ensures smooth traffic flow, but for the logistics industry to develop, investment is needed to remove important bottlenecks.

Specifically, it is necessary to quickly complete the Tri Binh – Dung Quat interchange of the Da Nang – Quang Ngai expressway project, invest in National Highway 24 connecting from Kon Tum to Dung Quat port, expand National Highway 24C connecting to National Highway 1, and invest in the CT22 expressway from Dung Quat port to Bo Y border gate and Nam Giang international border gate…

"If we invest in such connecting infrastructure, more goods will be concentrated at Dung Quat port, fully exploiting its potential and gradually moving towards becoming a regional cargo transportation hub. To develop logistics, we must meet the fastest and most cost-effective cargo transportation needs; therefore, it is crucial for the State and businesses to invest and remove bottlenecks," Mr. Phong said.

In addition to allocating approximately 100 hectares for warehouses, Mr. Phong said that Quang Ngai is focusing on developing logistics in Dung Quat. However, due to changes in the law, the process of selecting investors and compensating for land acquisition has been prolonged, leading to delays in the development of the cargo handling areas.

During a recent working session with Quang Ngai province, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Anh, Chairman of the State Capital Management Committee at Enterprises, requested that Quang Ngai allocate resources to develop a comprehensive and synchronized infrastructure; increase investment in logistics development, including fully exploiting the advantages of Dung Quat deep-water port and Chu Lai airport to build it into a logistics center for the entire region.

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