Marshall Islands-flagged Synergy Busan, with a loading capacity of over 50,000 tonnes, docks at Cái Lân port in the northern province of Quảng Ninh. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vân

QUẢNG NINH — Cái Lân International Container Terminal (CICT) in the northern province of Quảng Ninh on September 14 welcomed the Marshall Islands-flagged Synergy Busan with a loading capacity of over 50,000 tonnes, the first container ship of Maersk Lines to dock in the port.

The ship, which carried over 2,000 empty containers, is on one of the two pilot trips to be operated by Maersk Lines to evaluate the economic efficiency towards the opening of an international container route to Cái Lân port in the future.

To shorten the time for procedures, the People's Committee of Quảng Ninh province has allowed relevant agencies to perform quick COVID-19 test for all crew members instead of PCR tests. However, they must ensure that there would be no direct contact between the ship's crew members and people on shore. Other vessels are also not allowed to dock alongside the ship.

The fact that ships from the world's largest container shipping company arriving at CICT is a positive signal that Quảng Ninh can exploit the advantages of a large deep-water port in the northern region.

Frank Van Rompaey, General Director of Cái Lân International Container Terminal Co. Ltd, said MAERSK's container ships used to dock at the port because large ships cannot go to other ports in the area, adding that Quảng Ninh province should take this advantage to attract investment and increase local competitiveness.

He said that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused difficulties for countries all over the world but Quảng Ninh province has excelled in containing it with the adoption of strict measures.

According to Rompaey, once international container ship routes through Cái Lân port are set up, connecting with major markets in the world, especially Europe, the United States, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and ASEAN, many great opportunities will be opened up for import and export, investment attraction and production development in the locality. — VNS