Cat Lai Port welcomed 7 container ships on New Year's Eve.

On the evening of February 16th (the 29th day of the Lunar New Year), the 20th Brigade of the Saigon Newport Corporation held a ceremony to officially launch cargo handling operations for the Spring Festival of the Year of the Horse 2026 at Tan Cang Cat Lai Port (Ho Chi Minh City). During the New Year's Eve celebrations, the port received 7 cargo ships, with the first container being electronic components loaded onto the vessel EVER BRAVE.

Delegates perform the ceremony of issuing the order to begin cargo handling in the Spring of the Year of the Horse 2026 at Tan Cang Cat Lai Port.

Accordingly, the first container, after the loading order was issued, was loaded onto the EVER BRAVE vessel of EVER GREEN shipping company, with a tonnage of 36,972 tons and a carrying capacity of nearly 3,000 TEU, on the route from Cat Lai (Vietnam) to Laem Chabang (Thailand), Singapore, Port Kelang (Malaysia), Chennai (India), and Vizag (India). This container carries electronic components, a key product that contributed to Ho Chi Minh City's export turnover reaching over 98 billion USD last year.

To support production activities during the Tet holiday at Tan Cang Cat Lai port, each shift has more than 1,000 workers directly managing and operating production and serving customers and import-export businesses. During Tet, Tan Cang Cat Lai port received 70 cargo ships, with a throughput of 112,000 TEU, equivalent to nearly 1.6 million tons of goods. On New Year's Eve alone, the port received 7 container ships, with a total cargo handling volume of nearly 11,200 TEU (equivalent to 155,000 tons of goods).

According to Major General Ngo Minh Thuan, Commander of the 20th Army Corps, in 2026, to continue maintaining the momentum and growth rate in the era of national development, the 20th Army Corps - Saigon Newport Corporation has determined to continue implementing decisively and effectively its five business pillars: port operations; logistics services; transportation and maritime services; investment and business in industrial parks and free trade zones; marine and island tourism services; and the development of clean and renewable energy.

The 20th Brigade - Saigon Newport Corporation strives to achieve a 12% increase in basic economic indicators (revenue, profit), a labor productivity increase of over 8.5%, and a more than 20% increase in the logistics pillar compared to 2025. The overarching goal is to maintain its leading role in Vietnam's seaport system, contributing to economic growth and enhancing national competitiveness in 2026.

In 2025, the total container throughput of the Saigon Newport Corporation's port system is expected to reach 11.4 million TEU, an increase of nearly 5% compared to the same period, equivalent to nearly 160 million tons of goods, making a significant contribution to the state budget and national import and export activities.

The first containers were loaded onto the ship.

Speaking at the cargo handling commencement ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Bui Xuan Cuong highly appreciated the achievements and contributions of Brigade 20 - Saigon Newport Corporation to the development of the city; and expressed his hope that Saigon Newport Corporation would continue to develop, break through and reach further, contributing more to the economic recovery that the whole country and the city are actively promoting.

According to Mr. Bui Xuan Cuong, Ho Chi Minh City will accelerate administrative reforms, creating a favorable investment and business environment for enterprises. Regarding the seaport and logistics sectors, the city will continue to invest in a comprehensive system of transportation, urban, energy, and logistics infrastructure, creating a foundation for regional linkages and international connectivity.

Key projects such as the Ring Road 3, the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway, the An Phu interchange, and the My Thuy interchange will be completed and put into operation in 2026, contributing to the formation of strategic transport corridors, reorganizing goods flows towards inter-regional connectivity, reducing pressure on gateways, and enhancing the city's trade capacity.

In the long term, investing in the construction of Ring Road 4, expanding expressways, the Cat Lai - Phu Huu inter-port road - the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway interchange, and Ring Road 3 will create a new layer of connectivity, expanding development potential and enhancing the competitiveness of the entire Southern Key Economic Region. This is one of the efforts to help the city realize its growth target of over 10% in 2026.

At the ceremony marking the start of operations in the Spring of the Year of the Horse, the 20th Brigade - Saigon Newport Corporation donated 5.4 billion VND to the "For the Poor" Fund of Ho Chi Minh City, local authorities, and the "For the Homeland's Seas and Islands" Fund.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/tan-cang-cat-lai-don-7-chuyen-tau-container-trong-dem-giao-thua-20260216233239985.htm