A view of Thi Vai-Cai Mep in Ba Ria-Vung Tau. (Photo: VNA)
Global logistics data released recently in Washington were among new keyperformance indicators that complement the Logistics Performance Index (LPI)for 139 economies, the WB said.
Among other ASEAN members, Thailand had the second-fastest turnaround time of1.0 day followed by Malaysia and Singapore (both 1.2 days), the Philippines(1.3 days), Indonesia (1.8 days) and Myanmar (2.0 days).
In a statement, the bank said digitalisation was allowing emergingeconomies to shorten port delays by as much as 70% compared to those indeveloped countries.
“While most time is spent in shipping, the biggest delays occur at seaports,airports, and multimodal facilities,” said Christina Wiederer, the bank’ssenior economist who co-authored the report.
“Policies targeting these facilities can help improve reliability,” she said.
At 4.3 points, Singapore was top ranked, both within ASEAN and worldwide. It wasfollowed by Malaysia (3.6 points), Thailand (3.5 points), the Philippines andVietnam (both 3.3 points) and Indonesia (3.0 points). An ranking forMyanmar was not available.
Despite challenges such as COVID-19, the bank said logistics services were“broadly resilient” for best and worst performers worldwide.
“Even with the COVID-19 pandemic-induced disruptions to shipping and the globalsupply chain crisis, the average overall score in the 2023 LPI was broadly thesame as in the last survey in 2018,” it said.
The LPI has six indicators: efficiency of customs and border managementclearance, quality of trade and transport infrastructure, ease of arrangingcompetitively priced shipments, competence and quality of logistics services,ability to track and trace consignments, and frequency of on-time deliveries.
Recently, major shipping lines in the world have invested in the constructionand operation of seaports in Vietnam.
For example, DP World Group of the UAE invested in and operates SaigonPremier Container Terminal (SPCT) – HCM City; SSA Marine Corporation of theUS with Cai Lan International Container Terminal (CICT) in Quang NinhProvince and SP-SSA International Terminal (SSIT) in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province;PSA Group of Singapore with SP-PSA Terminal in Ba Ria-Vung Tau; APMT Group ofDenmark with Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT) and Hutchison Port HoldingGroup of Hong Kong with SITV Terminal in Ba Ria-Vung Tau as well.
Better seaport services and rising shipping demands have attracted largeshipping lines to open routes from Vietnam to other countries in the world.Lach Huyen wharf is capable of accommodating vessels of up to 132,000 DWT andCai Mep - Thi Vai wharf, 214,000 DWT or over 18,000 TEUs. Every week, nearly 40vessels depart from Cai Mep - Thi Vai Terminal, including 18 to Europe andAmerica, and 10 to Asia, gradually making Vietnam an important link in theglobal maritime chain.
Direct service routes connecting major markets globally will createopportunities for Vietnamese exports. The turnaround time of service routesfrom Vietnam to the West Coast of the US used to take from 35 to 49 days. Withthe AA3 direct service route operated by Wan Hai shipping company, the transittime is 21 days only. The USCW service of ZIM shipping line hasthe fastest route connecting Cai Mep - Thi Vai port with the West Coast ofthe US with transit time down to 15 days.
The Ministry of Transport approved a plan to select contractors for sitesurvey consultancy, drawings preparation and bomb disposal to upgrade the Cai Mep- Thi Vai port cluster from Buoy No.0 to the Cai Mep Container Terminal.
Work on the project started in early February 2023 and will be completed in2025 with total investment capital of 1.4 trillion VND from the State budget.
According to the Ministry of Transport, the navigational channel from buoy No.0to the upstream of the Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT) is designed forships of 160,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) with a full load and 120,000 DWTvessels for two-way operation./.
VNA
