Expanding boundaries, elevating Hai Phong gateway port

The ports at Lach Huyen Port Area attract many large shipping lines in the world to dock and load cargo. Photo: LE DUNG

More efficient management of port waters

The draft Circular announcing the seaport waters within the territory of Hai Phong city and the management area of Hai Phong Maritime Port Authority, for which the Ministry of Construction has consulted, determines the scope of Hai Phong seaport waters including: Van Uc River, Nam Do Son, Northeast of Thai Binh River mouth, Hon Dau, Lan Ha Bay, Lach Huyen, Ha Nam Canal, Cai Trap Canal, Bach Dang River, Cam River and Gia River. Notably, according to this proposal, the Ministry of Construction allows the city to expand the water boundary towards the sea, closely following the planning for the development of the seaport system in the period of 2021-2030 and the vision to 2050.

According to the new seaport planning, many more anchorage areas, transshipment areas, buoys and storm shelters have been added. Many offshore dredging sites (points D1-D4) have been accepted; the coastline of Nam Dinh Vu area has also changed significantly as the industrial park continues to expand. If the water boundaries are not adjusted in time, some pilot boarding and disembarkation areas and large tonnage ship mooring areas will fall outside the current management scope, causing difficulties in licensing, monitoring and responding to maritime incidents.

The establishment of the boundary along the 20°31'00" parallel covers the entire dredging area and new maritime corridors. This is not only an expansion of the administrative scope, but also creates a legal framework for ship coordination, channeling, anchoring licensing and marine environmental management in the expanded port area. However, the adjustment process needs to be implemented carefully, combining environmental assessment and dredging management plans. In addition, the expansion of the water area must go hand in hand with regulations on discharge monitoring, conservation of coastal ecological zones and oil spill handling mechanisms, avoiding the situation of expansion in scale but lax management.

Expanding water boundaries is not only a matter of state management but also a lever to promote logistics and supply chain development.

Leverage for logistics

Expanding the water area is not only a matter of state management but also a lever to promote the development of logistics and supply chains. When the port water area is expanded, businesses have a clearer legal basis to invest in floating warehouses, buoy berths, container transshipment, depots and riverside logistics services. These are important infrastructures for transshipment and import-export activities.

Chairman of the Hai Phong Logistics Association Tran Tien Dung commented: “The expanded water space will remove many barriers for logistics enterprises, such as: reducing licensing time, facilitating anchoring and transshipment, and at the same time helping enterprises boldly invest in large ships and modern loading and unloading equipment. This is a necessary condition for Hai Phong to achieve the goal of becoming a national logistics center before 2030”.

In fact, the ports in the Hai Phong seaport system are being upgraded in capacity, many shipping channels are being dredged, and the waterways are being extended to allow the reception of large tonnage ships. Along with the decision to establish a Free Trade Zone of more than 6,200 hectares and connect with the Dinh Vu - Cat Hai Economic Zone, the expansion of the water area will create a competitive regional port - industrial and logistics ecosystem.

However, for truly sustainable efficiency, the city and central ministries need to synchronize solutions in upgrading multimodal connections (roads, railways connecting to ports), standardizing warehouse infrastructure, building incentive mechanisms for green logistics investment, and training specialized human resources. In addition, the inter-sectoral coordination mechanism in monitoring maritime safety and environmental protection must be strengthened to avoid conflicts of interest between exploiting and preserving marine ecosystems.

The expansion of the Hai Phong seaport water boundary is a strategic and necessary step for Hai Phong to fully exploit its gateway port potential, promote logistics and ensure national security and defense. However, success depends on the synchronization in land and water planning, environmental management mechanisms, investment in connecting infrastructure and close coordination between state agencies and enterprises. When these factors are implemented together, the city has enough basis to reach the position of the leading seaport in the region.

BAO ANH

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/mo-rong-ranh-gioi-nang-tam-cang-cua-ngo-hai-phong-524731.html