First Secretary of the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, Jin Kimoto, has affirmed that Japan is ready to assist Vietnam in developing seaports and improve seaport management capacity.
At the seminar &ldquoState management of seaports in Vietnam&rdquo held in Hanoi June 24, Jin Kimoto said that to fulfill targets for economic development, especially investment and import-export, Vietnam needs to develop seaports.
He also hoped that Vietnam will complete leasing procedures for Cai Mep-Thi Vai port in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province soon to create favorable conditions for foreign investors.
After introducing some seaport management models from Japan, Indonesia and the US, the Overseas, Coastal Area Development Institute of Japan (OCDI) Chief Advisor Hidehiko Kuroda suggested some measures for Vietnam to develop its seaports.
Kuroda&rsquos suggestions included setting up agencies to provide and implement seaport services, create funds for developing and maintaining seaports, and promulgate anti-monopoly regulations in seaport business.
Head of the Vietnam Maritime Department, Vuong Dinh Lam said that since 90 per cent of Vietnam&rsquos trade is transported by sea, the country&rsquos seaport system needs to be improved and developed in terms of infrastructure, scale and management capacity in order to handle 230 million-280 million tons of cargoes by 2010, and 400 million tons by 2020.
Vietnam is now home to some 260 seaports with nine ports to be upgraded to handle 50,000 DWT cargo ships or 3,000 TEU container ships.
The Southeast-Asian country is estimated to need US$5 billion to build and upgrade its seaport systems from now to 2010, aiming to handle 250 million tons of cargo in 2010 and 550 million tons in 2020. (The People, Young People)
Vietnamese
