Concerns over price of imported Cambodian sand for Ho Chi Minh City's Ring Road 3

TPO - According to calculations by the Ho Chi Minh City Transport Board, importing construction sand from Cambodia for use as leveling sand in the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 project would result in a price difference of approximately 130,000 VND/m3 compared to the price of domestically produced sand.

The Ho Chi Minh City Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Transportation Works (referred to as the Transportation Board, the investor) has just submitted a report to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee on the progress of the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 project.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, the total demand for sand for road embankment construction under the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 project is approximately 7.1 million cubic meters, of which about 4.7 million cubic meters are needed this year.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport stated that, despite the contractors' best efforts to find sources of sand for road embankment, the amount of sand mobilized to the construction site has not met the project's needs.

Besides continuing to urge contractors to focus on and urgently search for sources of leveling sand to bring to the construction site for construction in May and June of this year and subsequent phases, the investor is coordinating with the materials task force, the government task force, and local authorities to accelerate the progress of searching for sources of leveling sand to supply the project.

Construction site of the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 project, the section passing through Thu Duc City.

To date, although the provinces of Vinh Long, Tien Giang , and Ben Tre have agreed to support and provide sand for road embankment construction for the Ring Road 3 project, the biggest obstacle currently is the need to expedite the process and complete the relevant procedures so that the localities can supply sand for the project.

According to the provinces' plans, the relevant procedures will not be completed until June at the earliest. Only then will contractors be able to access commercial purchasing options to supply sand for the project.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, importing sand from Cambodia to Vietnam is also facing difficulties. Specifically, in Cambodia, there are three sand mining companies authorized to export sand: Soktheara, Global Green, and Chaktomuk. The Cambodian sand in Vietnam is imported from many businesses with contracts to purchase small quantities. This could lead to price differences between contracts.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport believes it is necessary to have a capable Vietnamese import company to negotiate with Cambodian businesses for large volumes. According to the Cambodian representative, their partner only supplies construction sand (without differentiating between construction sand and leveling sand, unlike Vietnam), which also affects the price.

For the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 project, the price of imported sand from Cambodia delivered to the construction site will be approximately 360,000 VND/m3 (8.5 USD + transportation from buoy number 0). Importing construction sand for use as leveling sand will lead to a significant price difference between imported sand (360,000 VND/m3) and local leveling sand (approximately 230,000 VND/m3 based on the original material price set by the provinces with mines).

Given the above situation, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport recommends that the People's Committees of Tien Giang, Vinh Long, and Ben Tre provinces expedite the procedures for extending and granting licenses for mines supplying the Ring Road 3 project, ensuring the timely completion of mining license procedures.

According to the investor, the land area acquired for the packages under the Ring Road 3 project (section through Ho Chi Minh City) has reached 98.8%, however, there are still many cases where the land has not been handed over, affecting the progress of construction.

In construction package No. 1, 100% of the land has been handed over. However, during the construction process, the contractor faced obstruction from four households within the area from abutment M1 to pier T2 of the elevated bridge and the parallel road from Km13+560 to Km13+640, affecting the progress of the package. The reason is that these households have filed complaints with the local authorities regarding land compensation disputes.

The investor requests the People's Committee of Thu Duc City, the People's Committee of Cu Chi District, and the People's Committee of Binh Chanh District to direct relevant units to pay attention to and support the resolution of difficulties and obstacles related to land clearance for the project, and to accelerate the handover of the land.

Huu Huy

Source: https://tienphong.vn/lo-venh-gia-nhap-khau-cat-campuchia-lam-duong-vanh-dai-3-tphcm-post1646226.tpo