On February 9th, after nearly 1 year of construction, the CM-XL01 package of the project to upgrade the Cái Mép – Thị Vải traffic route (in Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu province), starting from buoy “0” to the Cái Mép container port area, officially completed by the Maritime Project Management Board (Ministry of Transportation) as the investor.
As a result, the depth of the route has reached -15.5m, making it the deepest route in the country. After the completion of the traffic route, ships with a load capacity of 160,000 DWT to 200,000 DWT can safely operate without relying on tides.
This project is 30.5km long, approved by the Ministry of Transportation in August 2022, with an investment budget of over 1,400 billion VND from the public capital source in the 2021-2025 period. The project is divided into 3 main packages, with a total dredging volume of 6,618,695m3.
The three contractors in the consortium have carried out package No. 1 with the support of 50 vehicles and hundreds of officers, engineers, and workers working tirelessly, including holidays and days off, to ensure the progress of the work.
The contractors have deployed many vehicles to implement the project, working around the clock, without taking holidays or breaks. Photo: Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu newspaper
Package No. 1 has completed all the work and is currently in the measurement and review stage to prepare for maritime acceptance and announcement.
Mr. Lê Duy Hải, Commander of the No. 1 package construction site, said to the Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu newspaper that the engineers have been working tirelessly since the start of the project to meet the required progress.
Meanwhile, package No. 2 has completed 14% of the work volume and is expected to be completed in June 2024.
Package No. 3, which includes adjustment activities, setting up water areas, upgrading maritime signaling, maritime equipment systems, and nautical chart construction, is expected to last for 8 months and is currently in the appraisal process.
Mr. Nguyễn Ngọc Quang, Deputy Director of the Maritime Project Management Board, said to the Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu newspaper that due to the high density of ship traffic in the Cái Mép – Thị Vải route, the contractors are only allowed to work within half of the route’s range, from 6 am to 6 pm, to ensure traffic safety.
The overall view of the Cái Mép-Thị Vải Port. Photo: Vietnamese Navy newspaper
The challenges in mooring and moving vehicles have affected the progress, but all difficulties have been overcome by the units to achieve the set goals.
The Ministry of Transportation believes that the completion of the project will enhance the operation efficiency of the ports in the Cái Mép – Thị Vải cluster, serving the transportation demand of the key economic area in the South and promoting the shipping capacity for large container ships.
