Goods are loaded onto ships at Hoàng Diệu Port, Hải Phòng City. VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — Over 128.4 million tonnes of cargo were handled through Việt Nam’s seaports in the first quarter of this year, up 7 per cent annually, according to the Việt Nam Maritime Administration (VMA).

Of the figure, container cargo hit nearly 4.1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

Trịnh Thế Cường, head of the VMA’s transportation and maritime services office, attributed the high cargo volume going through the country’s seaports to the increase in imports and exports. 

During the period, Việt Nam’s exports hit US$58.51 billion, while imports neared $58 billion, up 4.7 per cent and 8.9 per cent, respectively. 

Cường said cargo via seaports will increase in the near future as a number of major shipping firms, such as Maersk and SITC, launched new service routes in seaports in Hải Phòng, Đà Nẵng, and Cái Mép-Thị Vải. 

On April 11, the Hải Phòng International Container Terminal welcomed Northern Jaguar deployed by Ocean Network Express. 

With a capacity of more than 8,800 TEUs, the vessel provides direct services from the north of Việt Nam to the west coast of the US and Canada. Its service will cut down freight time from Hải Phòng to the US and Canada as the previous route called in at overseas trans-shipment hubs, reducing the journey from 25 days to 17, thus attracting more transit cargo, Cường said. — VNS