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Kicking
off the improvement project of navigational channel to the Bassac river
By TTO, 27
Dec 2009
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TTO -
On early December 27th 2009, the Prime Minister
Nguyen Tan Dung has officially launched the construction commencement of
improvement project of navigational channel to the Bassac river in Duyen Hai
district, Tra Vinh province.
At the ground-breaking
ceremony, Nguyen Tan Dung Prime Minister highlights the improvement project of
navigational channel to the Bassac river via Quan Chanh Bo channel is a national
focal project aiming the construction of navigational channel which can allow
20.000 ton vessels to navigate at the port on the Bassac river. Also, the
project will, as said by the Prime Minister, play a significantly important role
in the socio-economic development of not only the Mekong Delta but the whole
country as well.
According to Mr. Nguyen Thai Binh, Tra Vinh Province
Committee Secretary, Quan Chanh Bo channel project is opening a sharply bright
opportunity to draw the foreign investment and promote the socio-economic growth
of the Delta.
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Model of breakwaters at the estuary – Photo: Phuong Nguyen |
Upon the completion, vessels
of 20.000 tons will find it easy to transport cargos at the ports belonging to
port complex No 6. As a result, a new chance for development will be open to the
Mekong Delta; cargos will be directly exported to foreign countries without any
transit at the ports outside the area, decreasing the transportation pressure by
road and fostering cargo competiveness and profits for enterprises and local
people.
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Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung launching the
construction commencement – Photo: Phuong Nguyen |
As said by the Ministry of
Transport, the project is inclusive of main work items: one-way channel of 40 km
long, turning basin, breakwater, bank protection dike, ferry, 500 ton barge
berth, jetty, embankment, navigation AIDS and marine information equipment, etc.
The navigational channel
comprises a river channel of 6 km long, Quan Chanh Bo channel section of 19 km
long, Bypass canal section of 9 km long and sea channel section of 6 km long.
The whole project is implemented in Duyen Hai and Tra Cu districts, Tra Vinh
province.
In order to ensure the
stability during the operation, 30-km-long bank protection dike is to be
constructed upon the project. Also, two breakwaters are to be constructed with a
length of over 25 km each. The shaping of these two breakwaters will help
shelter from wave and contribute preventing from mud/silt at the channel.
According to Mr Pham Anh
Tuan, the Project Manager of Portcoast Consultant Corporation (Portcoast), the
project is prepared with an area of nearly 1.500 hectares in Duyen Hai and Tra
Cu districts. The whole dredging volume for shaping a new channel and improving
the existing channels reaches about 28 million m3. The total investment capital
wins more than VND 5 trillion. The project is scheduled to come into operation
by end 2011, satisfying the throughput capacity of around 22 million tons/year
and serving cargo export/import for the Mekong Delta.
As to implement the project,
an area of more than 1.000 hectares of nearly 1.400 households has been
withdrawn. The Project Management Board has applied the policy on the
compensation, land assistance, labor “fruit” and thorough support for
settlement. Presently, more than 90 % of households have received the
compensation with a total of nearly VND 382 billion and 966 households have been
taken into consideration for the settlement.
According to the Ministry of Transport, the project is
capitalized from the Government bond in purpose of unblocking cargos of the
Mekong Delta, of which 70-80% are shouldered on Ho Chi Minh city port complex
only. This has “swallowed” $180/container and $7-10/ton of transportation cost.
As thus, the shaping of Quan Chanh Bo channel to the Bassac river will create
favorable conditions in transporting cargos of the Mekong Delta and foster
agricultural-aquatic product and seafood competitiveness for the whole area.
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The dredging of
Quan Chanh Bo channel and smoothing of navigational channel for
large vessels to navigate at 13 ports on the Bassac river will
significantly promote the Delta’s socio-economy growth. Concretely:
- Economizing the
cost and price thanks to the direct export/import and fostering
Vietnam’s agricultural-aquatic product and seafood competitiveness in
the world market;
- Creating favorable
conditions in developing and putting up the income and employment in
maritime, transportation, commercial fields and relevant services;
- Increasing customs
duties, tolls and a series of taxes and levies for local budget;
- Taking advantage
of and enhancing resource values in land and labor to be put into use as
to be in service of the need of socio-economic development of the whole
area.
Presently, the
arising cost and time as a result of the use of ports in Ho Chi Minh
city as to import/export cargos for the Delta are quite high. The
tendency and pressure are increasing due to the fact that the rate of
direct export/import at the ports at the Mekong Delta accounts for about
32% of cargo throughput. Each vessel navigating at the port can handle
an average of nearly 3.800 tons while each vessel navigating at port
complex No 5 can shoulder 9.000 tons on average.
As thus, if Dinh An channel or Quan Chanh
Bo channel is able to accommodate vessels of up-to 10.000 tons each day,
Can Tho port and ports on the channel are capable of initially competing
with the ports in Ho Chi Minh city area.
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PHƯƠNG NGUYÊN
(Translated by
Portcoast)
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