Danang calls for private investment in US$177mln port project
Authority in the central city of Danang is calling on private investors to join it in expanding a local port terminal for a cost estimate of VND4 trillion (US$177 million), local media have reported.
Details about the plan of upgrading Lien Chieu, a small terminal of Danang Port, are still sketchy at the moment.
However, under a plan announced by the transport ministry in 2011, the terminal was expected to be able to receive 50,000-DWT ships after 2020. With two wharfs, it was also slated to handle 2.5-3.5 million tons a year.
At a meeting with the transport ministry on March 18, Danang's senior officials said the expansion of Lien Chieu is "necessary," as Tien Sa, the main terminal of Danang Port, is on the verge of being overloaded with the increasing flows of goods and tourists, local media reported.
 |
Although Tien Sa is being upgraded, the officials said, more cargo ships and tourist cruises will only worsen its current "traffic conflict."
With cruises docking at Tien Sa for a long time, there have been delays in cargo ships' loading and unloading of goods, Tuoi Tre reported, citing Nguyen Huu Sia, CEO of Danang Port JSC.
He also expressed concerns about the safety of tourists who have to walk under lifting structures.
With three wharfs, Tien Sa currently handles 6.7 million tons of goods a year and the shipment is expected to increase to 10-15 million tons a year in 2020, news website Dau Tu reported, citing figures released at the meeting.
According to Danang's tourism department, around 110 cruises will dock Tien Sa this year with over 100,000 tourists on board, more than a double from the figures last year.
