Solving the "problem" of exiting the sea

Cargo loading and unloading activities at Dong Nai Port. Photo: Pham Tung

Important "gateway" for import and export of goods

Currently, for waterway traffic, the province has 1 inland waterway route managed by the central government from the lower reaches of the Dong Nai River to the confluence of the Be River and 15 routes managed by the province with a length of nearly 154km. Along with that, there are 3 maritime routes approaching Dong Nai province including: Dong Tranh route, Dong Nai route and Cai Mep - Thi Vai route allowing ships with a capacity of 5-60 thousand DWT to enter and exit.

Regarding seaports, Dong Nai province currently has 19 seaports belonging to group 4 of seaports, playing an important role in the Vietnamese seaport system.

Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, General Director of Port Design and Marine Engineering Consulting Joint Stock Company, said: Dong Nai seaport system, with main wharf areas in Phuoc An, Go Dau, Nhon Trach and Long Binh Tan, has made important contributions to economic development. Specifically, in 2024, the total volume of goods passing through Dong Nai seaport will reach 28.5 million tons, ranking 8th out of 34 seaports nationwide in terms of volume of goods passed through. "The port system meets a significant part of the import and export needs of large industrial parks in the area, effectively connecting with the inland waterway network to the provinces of the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City" - Mr. Pham Anh Tuan said.

According to Mr. Tuan, for the Dong Nai seaport system, the investment and operation of phase 1 of Phuoc An port has created a modern highlight, capable of receiving ships of up to 60,000 DWT. This is a port designed, built and invested in modern equipment, which can be considered the "gateway" to the sea of Dong Nai province.

Professor, Dr. Vo Xuan Vinh, Director of the Institute of Business Research, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, assessed: Phuoc An Seaport is one of the key transport and logistics infrastructure projects not only in Dong Nai but also in the Southern region. Phuoc An Port plays a particularly important role in serving the needs of customs clearance and storage of goods for industrial parks operating in the province.

According to the detailed planning for the development of land and seaport areas in Dong Nai in the period of 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, by 2030, the cargo throughput through the port will reach 39.5-52 million tons; container cargo will reach 0.96-1.13 million TEU. At the same time, the province is expected to have 27-29 ports with a wharf length of over 10km. With a vision to 2050, the average cargo growth rate of Dong Nai seaport system will reach about 3.5-3.8%/year.

Developing a marine economic model

Dr. of Science, Architect Ngo Viet Nam Son, Chairman of NgoViet Architects & Planners (Ho Chi Minh City) said: One of the directions that Dong Nai needs to aim for in the coming time is to develop the marine economy. Through the province's seaport system, Dong Nai can strongly develop the marine economy to achieve the goal of becoming a major logistics center of the country. From there, it will promote one of the province's strengths to continue to develop, which is the industry. Because, when the logistics industry develops, it will create great conditions for the industry to develop.

Similarly, Dr. Tran Du Lich, member of the National Monetary Policy Advisory Council, member of the Provincial Socio-Economic Advisory Group, assessed that Dong Nai must develop towards the sea. In addition to the province's seaport system, it is possible to combine with Cai Mep - Thi Vai Seaport to form a route to the sea for Dong Nai. "Dong Nai has a favorable location to be able to use Cai Mep - Thi Vai Port of Ho Chi Minh City to go to the sea" - Mr. Tran Du Lich assessed.

Mr. Pham Anh Tuan said: The seaport system is the solution to the problem of "sea exit" of Dong Nai province. This is a revolutionary factor, helping to clear the flow of goods, reduce costs and create a breakthrough competitive advantage for the whole province.

However, according to Mr. Tuan, to achieve this goal, the Dong Nai seaport system needs to soon remove "bottlenecks" such as: fragmented and unsynchronized investment; limitations in infrastructure and technology; limitations in waterways, clearance and inadequate post-port connection infrastructure.

The solution to remove these bottlenecks is to develop a seaport system according to the model of a concentrated, modern port cluster, overcoming the fragmented and small-scale situation, prioritizing large-scale, high-tech projects. At the same time, seaport development must be closely linked and synchronized with multi-modal connection infrastructure including: roads, railways, waterways and post-port logistics ecosystem. Along with that, taking "green ports" as the core criteria, aiming for sustainable development, reducing emissions and protecting the environment.

According to Mr. Tuan, in terms of planning the space of seaport areas, there needs to be a clear division of functions so that each area can maximize its advantages, forming a mutually complementary system. “Phuoc An area will be the strategic and priority area, the main gateway for goods from the whole province, especially goods from the old Binh Phuoc area. Go Dau - Nhon Trach area will continue to be an important area serving existing industrial parks. Meanwhile, Long Binh Tan area will be an important hub connecting inland waterway and road transport” - Mr. Pham Anh Tuan suggested.

Pham Tung

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/kinh-te/202510/giai-quyet-bai-toan-loi-ra-bien-8bf4ad8/