CAI Mep International Terminal (CMIT) in southern Vietnam is expected to handle 600,000 TEU in 2012, representing half the volumes currently moving through the port of Cai Mep.

The terminal located in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province has been in operation for one year and is the only terminal in the nation capable of accommodating larger deep-draft vessels. It has an annual container handling capacity of 1.1 million TEU.



APM Terminals has a 49 per cent share in the joint venture terminal that was established with partners, Vietnam-based Saigon Port and Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines).



"Our productivity has already reached world-class levels regularly exceeding 40 crane moves per hour which shows how competitive Vietnamese ports can be," said Steen Davidson, managing director of Cai Mep International Terminal.



Reflecting the national focus on ports, State President of Vietnam, Truong Tan Sang, led a delegation including President of Ba Ria-Vung Tau People's Committee Tran Minh Sanh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau deputy Party Chief Nguyen Hong Linh, Vice Minister of Planning & Investment Nguyen Van Trung and several high ranking central and local officials for a visit to CMIT at the end of last month to see how the port is helping the country achieve its ambitions to engage in greater international trade.



"The shareholders have made a long-term investment in CMIT and we are here to stay in order to support the growth of Vietnam's international trade," said Bui Van Trung, CMIT chairman.



"Given the current surplus capacity in Cai Mep, terminal operators need to attract more transshipment volumes to Vietnamese ports to fuel future growth," added Nguyen Xuan Ky, commercial director of CMIT.



"To achieve this, we need assistance from the government to make port charges more competitive with other South East Asian countries and this is a key message we shared with the President," he added.



Terminals in Ho Chi Minh City on the Saigon River and Cai Mep account for more than 60 per cent of all Vietnamese container traffic, with a combined 4.3 million TEU handled in 2010, representing growth of 10.8 per cent over 2009.