Margrethe Maersk, one of the world’s largest container shipd, successfully docked at Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT) in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau on October 25, making the CMIT one of 20 terminals globally capable of receiving such a large ship.

Margrethe Maersk at Cai Mep International Terminal. Source: Plo.vn

The 214,121-DWT vessel, operated by the 2M Alliance led by Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company, is designed to carry over 18,300 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), is 400 meters in length and 59 meters in width.

The docking of Margrethe Maersk also has a significant meaning as Vietnam is a member of next-generation free trade agreements, including the CPTPP and EVFTA.

As such, Vietnam’s exports would be fed to large container ships that go directly to major markets, such as Europe or the US, without having to be transited at transshipment hubs in Singapore or Malaysia. This in turn would help reduce logistics costs, travel time, and enhance competitiveness for Vietnamese goods.

On the same day, at the Nghi Son economic zone in Thanh Hoa province, the construction for Quang Trung port with investment capital of VND450 billion (US$19.41 million) was commenced.

The port is expected to accommodate container vessels with sizes in range from 50,000 – 70,000DWT, while the handling capacity of the port would be around 1.5 million tons of goods per year.

The construction of the port is divided into two phases, with the first one being scheduled to complete in 2021.