PORTCOAST - The familiar brand name with marine projects

By SGGP - 06/04/2009

Portcoast stands for Portcoast Consultant Corporation. Mr. Ho Nghia Dung, Minister of Transport has called this enterprise as a leading consultant of Ministry of Transport because of its prideful contribution to many key maritime projects of Viet Nam.

Being busy with two new navigation channels

Portcoast’s head office located in district 1 is very quiet these days. Dr. Truong Ngoc Tuong, Chief Engineer, revealed to writer that most of their engineers and staffs now are working on the sea to stand by for the construction implementation of two new navigation channels which are Soai Rap in Ho Chi Minh City and Quan Chanh Bo cannel in Mekong Delta.

Back to one hundred year ago, Soai Rap River, a river with wide width, width of some sections up to 2km and flow from Dong Nai and Sai Gon River to the sea, was not chosen as a navigation channel to Sai Gon sea port by French government just because of the existence of some shallow areas. During one hundred year from that time until today, Long Tau River has become main channel. Thing is changed since Viet Nam Government approved the relocation plan of port system along Sai Gon River which plan to relocate port group to outside of Ho Chi Minh City. This action shall facilitate and bring more rooms for these ports developed. Besides that, cargo transportation is considered as one of main reasons to cause traffic congestion in Ho Chi Minh City. Nobody else except Portcoast has been trusted and assigned to be consultant of this relocation plan by Ministry of Transport. However, one question appeared: which is alternative channel? From 1997 to 1998, experienced technical persons of Portcoast (at that time, Portcoast was just a department of Tedi South) worked together with PCI, so called project owner assigned by Ho Chi Minh People Committee, to find out the answer. And, finally, Soai Rap is found. At that time, this south of Ho Chi Minh was just a submerged area and home of mosquitoes. As per Portcoast’s calculation, if being dredged and maintained properly, Soai Rap shall be emerged as potential navigation channel of Ho Chi Minh City. After being trial dredge at first phrase, good sign shows that this river is able to accommodate vessels up to 10,000 tons. The second phrase is planned to dredge Soai Rap River to -9.5m. Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Project Manager of Portcoast, said with the depth to -9.5m and take advantage of tide, it is possible for lighted vessels up to 50,000 tons enter port group in Hiep Phuoc area via Soai Rap River. Recognizing the effectiveness of Soai Rap dredging project, many investors show their ambitious to invest in seaport in this area, one of them is Dubai World, a world second largest seaport operator. A group of Portcoast’s technical staffs are in hurry to carry out the preparation works for the event of second phrase of Soai Rap dredging. That can explain the quite working environment in Portcoast’s head office these days.

Another group of Portcoast’s technical staffs is putting high concentration on another important project: construction implementation of new navigation channel to Mekong Delta - Quan Chanh Bo canal. There are contrary pictures between the Mekong Delta, the area considered as biggest granary in Viet Nam and living standards of local people which still meet a lot of difficulties. It is about 80% of total volume of exported agricultural products from Mekong Delta must be through the port group in Ho Chi Minh City. This increases the transportation cost and decreases the competitiveness of product. So, the requirement to have new channel which can accommodate bigger vessels and serve import – export activities for Mekong Delta is appeared urgently than ever. In fact, there is Dinh An channel existed in this area. However due to continuous severe sedimentation and unstability at Dinh An channel, it is only accommodate vessels up to 5,000 tons. One again, Portcoast is appointed to carry out the survey. Being inherited previous studies made by Ministry of Transport, the association between Portcoast’s experts and experts from international consultants proposed an alternative which shall dredge a bypass canal from sea and link to Quan Chanh Bo canal. A proposed bypass canal is hoped to become a new navigation channel to Mekong Delta. The stability of new channel is quite high because it is protected by two breakwaters at sea and Quan Chanh Bo canal is deep seated inside of land area and less affected by sedimentation. There area many seminars discussing about this alternatives and many comments has come out. However, Ministry of Transport finally approved the alternative proposed by Portcoast because its advantages and outstanding points. At present, Tra Vinh People Committee, where the project is passed by, has completed the compensation as well as site clearance. Mr. Luu Phuoc Luong, vice director of committee taking care projects in west southern Viet Nam, expressed his thinking in one of the seminars that “If you have a chance to witness the long queues of container truck everyday transporting exported cargos from Mekong Delta to Ho Chi Minh City, you will understand how urgent the local people’s desire to wait for new navigation channel”.

Involving to breakwaters, ports, master plan of Viet Nam seaport system

Portcoast involves not only in those projects located in the south of Viet Nam but also in most of key projects in Central and North of Viet Nam. A Son Duong deep water sea port is an investment of Formosa Plastic Group of Taiwan with total investment cost of US $ 8 billion (phrase 1) and US $ 16 billion (phrase 2). Despite the competition from local and international consultants, Portcoast has successfully been chose as project consultant to carry out the geotechnical, topographic, and hydrological survey as well as detailed design. Beginning of November 2008, we had a chance to accompany with Portcoast’s technical persons to survey the current and flow performance of Vung Ang sea. The weather condition at that time was severe. Despite continuous heavy rains and aggressive storms, survey teams still just ignored and persisted in carrying out their duty.

Dung Quat Refinery – a pride of local people in Central, Viet Nam, has just come into operation. Portcoast also feel proudly to make its important mark to the success of this great project. Portcoast successfully designed the breakwater served Dung Quat Refinery. In order to accommodate vessels which import the material and export the final product, it is required to design and construct a port within Dung Quat Refinery. The water area must be waveless in order to ensure the safety of oil transportation. Therefore, the construction of a breakwater is compulsory. Portcoast’s team has applied modern and advance technologies to carry out the design. Portcoast do not hesitate to pay millions USD to purchase updated copyrighted technology as well as send staffs to study abroad in order to help them get advance knowledge and more experience. Dung Quat breakwater is considered as most modern work in South East Asia and now still in good condition to keep the Dung Quat’s operation safe and effectively.

Besides those projects, Portcoast has also been making their contribution to other key projects of Oil and Gas Industry such as Nghi Son Refinery – Thanh Hoa, Long Son Petrochemical Complex – Ba Ria Vung Tau. From 2003, Portcoast carried out geotechnical and hydrological survey in order to select the optimum location and basic design of maritime works of Nghi Son Refinery and Refinery No. 3. Geotechnical, topographic and hydrological surveys of Long Son Petrochemical Complex are being carried out.

To Van Phong Transshipment port in Khanh Hoa, a first model in Viet Nam, Portcoast shows its full capability to involve in many procedures of project starting from carrying out detailed planning, geotechnical survey, topographic survey, hydrological survey to preparing investment project proposal; and at present, the association of Portcoast and Nippon Koei (NK), a Japanese consultant, is carrying out the detailed design.

Cai Mep Thi Vai area in Ba Ria Vung Tau is planned to be location of many biggest deep water seaports in Viet Nam. Portcoast is assigned to carry out the master plan of port group No.5 (Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria Vung Tau, Dong Nai) which is approved by Prime Minister and being implemented. Portcoast also involves in design works provided to many port operators in this area such as SP-PSA International Port Co., Ltd, a joint venture of PSA, Vinalines and Sai Gon port. By those significant contributions and impressive achievements, Ministry of Transport once again appointed Portcoast to carry out the master plan of Viet Nam seaport system until 2050. This assignment requires the planner to have a strategic vision about maritime economy for decades ahead. Mr. Tran Tan Phuc, General Director of Portcoast, affirms that this is a very good plan. Portcoast shall listen to voices from scientists and take their comments into consideration during the implementation. It is certainly not incidental that just be a small department belonged to Tedi South 10 years ago, Portcoast now is emerging to become a leading consultant in port and coastal engineering. And Portcoast continues to mark their remarkable contribution to most of the maritime projects in Viet Nam.