TCIT HONORED TO WELCOME PRIME MINISTER PHAM MINH CHINH FOR THE INAUGURAL CARGO HANDLING CEREMONY OF THE GIAP THIN LUNAR NEW YEAR 2024

On the morning of January 19, Tan Cang – Cai Mep International Terminal (TCIT) had the great honor of hosting Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for the inaugural cargo handling ceremony to mark the beginning of the Giap Thin Lunar New Year 2024.

Also attending the event were members of the Central Party Committee: Tran Hong Ha, Deputy Prime Minister; Tran Van Son, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office; Nguyen Van Thang, Minister of Transport; Pham Viet Thanh, Secretary of the Ba Ria – Vung Tau Provincial Party Committee; and Lieutenant General Le Quoc Hung, Deputy Minister of Public Security.

Military representatives in attendance included Lieutenant General Pham Truong Son, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army; Rear Admiral Do Van Yen, Deputy Political Commissar of the Navy; Colonel Nguyen Nang Toan, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Saigon Newport Corporation (SNP); and Colonel Ngo Minh Thuan, General Director of SNP.

The Tan Cang – Cai Mep port cluster is strategically located near the Thi Vai – Cai Mep river junction, about 18 nautical miles from the Vung Tau pilot station. The navigation channel has a depth of -15.5 meters, and the berth area reaches -16.8 meters. Currently, SNP manages and operates three ports in this cluster: Tan Cang – Cai Mep International Terminal (TCIT), Tan Cang – Cai Mep Thi Vai Terminal (TCTT), and Tan Cang – Cai Mep Terminal (TCCT), with a yard area of 108 hectares and nearly 1,500 meters of berth capable of simultaneously accommodating three mother vessels of up to 14,000 TEU capacity. The ports are equipped with modern facilities and a professionally trained workforce, meeting the demands of global shipping lines. The cluster handles nearly 60% of the total throughput in the Cai Mep – Thi Vai region.

Thanks to its favorable location and strong support from SNP and its member companies, the Tan Cang – Cai Mep cluster serves as a national gateway and a vital transshipment hub, facilitating direct trade between Vietnam and international markets, especially in key export-import regions such as the Americas, Europe, and Asia. It plays a critical role in boosting the nation’s import-export activities and economic development.

In 2023, despite numerous challenges, SNP successfully met its annual targets. Total container throughput across its ports reached 9.75 million TEUs (approximately 140 million tons), marking a growth of nearly 1%. SNP handled 56.8% of Vietnam's total container throughput and 89.5% of the market share in Ho Chi Minh City, ranking 16th among the top 20 container port clusters worldwide. The Tan Cang – Cai Mep cluster alone saw a 10% increase in throughput, reaching over 2.7 million TEUs and accounting for 53.2% of the deep-water container port market share in the Cai Mep – Thi Vai area.

Over its 15-year journey of formation and development, TCIT has become the largest deep-water container terminal in Vietnam and the second-largest container port in terms of throughput, just after Tan Cang – Cat Lai. It holds the number one position in the Cai Mep – Thi Vai cluster with nearly 50% market share since operations began. TCIT has significantly contributed to the development of Vietnam’s port sector and its integration into the global maritime network. To date, TCIT has welcomed over 5,000 mother vessels operating on more than 60 international service routes by nearly 30 global shipping lines, with total throughput nearing 18 million TEUs.

TCIT continues to maintain its leading position in the region and regularly sets new records, such as a vessel handling productivity of 238.08 containers per hour per vessel and a record 15,615 TEUs handled on a single mother vessel. TCIT is also a pioneer in integrating business operations with environmental protection, emission reduction, clean energy use, and digital transformation. These initiatives contribute to green development and sustainability. In 2020, TCIT proudly received the "Green Port Award" from the APEC Port Services Network (APSN), becoming the second port in Vietnam after Tan Cang – Cat Lai to receive this prestigious recognition, reinforcing Vietnam’s port industry on the global map amid growing attention to sustainability in port operations.

In his remarks at the ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that Vietnam’s achievements in 2023 were made possible in part due to the significant contributions of the heroic Vietnam People’s Army, including SNP. He affirmed the importance of marine economic development and identified maritime transport as a critical task assigned to the Ministry of Transport and SNP. He called for enhanced efforts to fulfill this mission, highlighting the strategic breakthroughs Vietnam is pursuing, especially in transportation infrastructure.

The Prime Minister urged SNP to contribute to the development of smart and green seaports and to connect inland waterways with major international ports. He emphasized supporting localities with port infrastructure in developing logistics services to reduce costs and increase the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods, particularly agricultural exports. SNP should also modernize port systems, drive green transition and digitalization using science, technology, and innovation, and build smart ports aligned with circular, sharing, and knowledge economies.

With Vietnam's extensive trade ties under more than 60 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), the Prime Minister stressed the need to ensure smooth cargo flow to benefit the Vietnamese economy and people. He encouraged SNP to build a high-quality workforce, strengthen the capacity and combat readiness of its units, and actively fight against corruption. The military, he said, must build a clean, strong, exemplary Party organization. He also noted the importance of maximizing natural advantages sustainably and effectively while protecting the environment.

Looking ahead to 2024, the Prime Minister acknowledged the challenges but urged SNP to set ambitious growth goals, reduce logistics costs, and further enhance the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods in global markets. He also expressed his hope that Ba Ria – Vung Tau would develop Cai Mep – Thi Vai into a model container transshipment hub — bright, green, clean, and beautiful.

At the event, the Prime Minister and delegates carried out the ceremonial command to commence the first cargo handling of the lunar new year at TCIT. The first container was loaded onto the vessel One Aquila, with a capacity of 14,052 TEUs, operating on the Vietnam–U.S. route. On this occasion, the Prime Minister also presented New Year gifts to officers, staff, and workers on duty at the port.