Dubai: DP World said on Monday that the first vessel has passed through the new channel to its Saigon Terminal in Vietnam.
The vessel, the MSC Xutra Bhum, with a capacity of 2,378 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent container units) and deadweight tonnage (dwt) of 30,832, sailed up the 54km channel to the terminal.
DP World’s Saigon Premier Container Terminal (SPCT) along the Soai Rap River in Ho Chí Minh City, Vietnam is a 80:20 joint venture with Vietnamese state-owned company Tan Thuan Industrial Promotion Company (IPC).
The new Soai Rap channel makes SPCT the deepest Ho Chí Minh City port. With a draught of 9.5 metres, and a tidal rise of up to 3.4 metres, the channel doubles the size of vessels that can access the port, including Panamax vessels.
The SPCT can now handle vessels of 50,000 dwt, and vessels with 5,000 TEU capacity are expected to start using the channel in coming weeks, DP World stated. There are also no night-time restrictions on the port.
“The dredging of the Soai Rap channel is one of the city’s highest priorities. It is a project that will benefit the entire south of Vietnam and help develop the surrounding areas,” stated Tat Thanh Cang, director of the HoồChí Minh City Department of Transport.
