Ship cargo (Wan Hai 362) with Singapore nationality from Wan Hai Lines limited company loads cargo at Đà Nẵng City's Tiên Sa Port. The shipping company launched the first direct shipping route from Tiên Sa Port and Long Beach Port, Oakland, the US. Photo courtesy of Đà Nẵng Port Company

ĐÀ NẴNG  — The first direct shipping route connecting the central city's Tiên Sa Port and Long Beach Port, Oakland, the US, has been launched, hosting cargo ships from central Việt Nam to the US.

The joint-stock Đà Nẵng Port company said a cargo ship (Wan Hai 362) with Singaporean nationality from Wan Hai Lines Limited company left Tiên Sa Port after loading 482 containers, including 50 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) of exports (garment, furniture, toys, steel coils, and aircraft spare parts and accessories) from Đà Nẵng directly to Long Beach Port on September 8.

The port authority stated that the new shipping route would help reduce the transport schedule by four to seven days, as it does not require transhipment.

They mentioned that the shipping route could offer a potential cargo connection between neighbouring provinces in the central region and the US in the future.

The newly-built Wan Hai 362 began its sea journey from Cochin, Nhava Sheva, Tuticorin in India, winding through Port Klang, Malaysia; Shekou, Xiamen, Shanghai, Ningbo, China; Tiên Sa Port and Tân Cảng Cái Mép port in Việt Nam; Taipei, Taiwan; and finally to Long Beach Port in Oakland, the US.

General Director of Đà Nẵng Port Company, Trần Lê Tuấn hosts a welcome ceremony for the captain of the cargo ship (Wan Hai 362) and crew members on the launching of the first shipping route from Đà Nẵng to the US. Photo courtesy of Trần Hồng Thúy

The Đà Nẵng Port Company reported that the Tiên Sa Port – a major cargo and cruise port in the city – handled 7.8 million tonnes of cargo and 24 cruises with 14,000 tourists in the first eight months of 2023. It expects to host a further 15 cruise ships in the fourth quarter of the year.

The port system will serve as a key export site for central provinces in the region as well as localities in the south of Laos and northeast Cambodia.

Tiên Sa Port can accommodate 70,000DWT (deadweight tonnage) ships, 4,000TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) container ships, and 150GT (gross tonnage) cruise ships with a capacity of handling 12 million tonnes of cargo per year.

The port is a pivotal hub in central Việt Nam and meets international logistics standards in the region, connecting the East-West Economic Corridor that links Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and Việt Nam, the port stated.

According to the Ministry of Transport, Đà Nẵng City’s port system, comprising Tiên Sa, Liên Chiểu, and Sơn Trà, is projected to handle 29 million tonnes of cargo by 2030.   

Tiên Sa Port aims to become a 'valley' of logistics, warehouses, transport, and digital customer clearance services, in addition to housing the representative offices of shipping companies and banks.

It hosts regular shipping routes from 20 shipping companies including Maersk; Evergreen; MSC; SITC; Wanhai; COSCO, while global container shipping companies such as ONE and Hapag Lloyd have shipped their cargo on different vessels.

Đà Nẵng is constructing a new Liên Chiểu Port on a 450ha site with an investment of US$137 million. This port will offer access to 200,000DWT cargo ships and container ships with loading capacities ranging from 8,000 to 18,000 TEUs, as well as 30,000DWT liquid cargo vessels by 2050. VNS