My Thuy Seaport – way to lead to Pacific Ocean

In the early days of 2024, authorities in Quang Tri Province and the investor of the My Thuy Wharf Project worked around the clock to finalize procedures for the construction of the complex, which plays an important role in the local socio-economic development.

My Thuy port area project in Quang Tri Province. Photo: T.T

Overall, the Southeast Quang Tri Economic Zone is situated on the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) spanning 13 provinces of four countries in the Mekong Sub-region. The corridor of 1,450 km connects Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. It holds lots of potential to boost trade connections in Southern Laos, Northeastern Thailand, and Northeastern Cambodia along EWEC.

The My Thuy Seaport is part of the corridor connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

In 2019, the Government of Vietnam approved the My Thuy Wharf Project with a vision for 2030. The project of 685 ha with 10 wharves will be built in three phases: the first to put into operations four wharves in 2018-2025; the phase by 2031 to have seven wharves come operational; and 10 wharves to be built by 2036.

My Thuy port is the “gateway” to the East Sea on the EWEC and a significant transportation project supporting the social and economic development of the province and the surrounding area. This deep-water seaport is ideally situated to act as a transshipment hub for goods on the EWEC, large enough to accommodate docking for ships weighing up to 100,000 tons.

According to Pham Ngoc Minh, Head of the Provincial Economic Zone Management Board, the My Thuy Port Project has so far finished the necessary legal processes for the investment plan. It’s available for feasibility study reports, reports on environmental impact assessments, plans on the transfer of the purpose of forest use, funding for reforestation, and completion of documentation for the exploitation of planted forest wood.

The Southeast Economic Zone of Quang Tri. Photo: T.T

The first phase of site clearance was approved with an amount of VND93 billion (US$3.7 million). The management board is working with different agencies and localities to complete procedures on site clearance, land lease, construction license, and exploitation of planted forest wood while asking for permission from the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on dredging in areas of the project.

Most of the legal procedures have been completed. The conversion of forest use purposes has been finished. Only a tiny portion of the land needs to be done. The investor and units are working toward fulfilling their goal of having the project kicked off by the end of March 2024 as scheduled, according to the board.

Based on the environmental impact assessment report authorized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Provincial People’s Committee assigned pertinent units to oversee and assist investors in the dredged material dumping area. Consequently, during the first construction phase of the project, the environmental impact assessment dossier has designated the 18.4-hectare temporary dump in the My Thuy port project area as a yard.

The units are also tasked with creating a strategy for handling dredged sand while construction is underway. It’s necessary to conduct a plan for dredged material storage yards for the My Thuy port project as well as the construction of nearby wharves to guarantee the location of waste dumps for the building of the seaport system in the Southeast Economic Zone.

The Department of Construction was also tasked by the province with reviewing pertinent construction material standards and regulations in order to advise the Provincial People’s Committee on plans to use saline dredged sand as leveling material for investment projects. The model is applied to non-public investment projects.

Chairman of Quang Tri People’s Committee Vo Van Hung (man in blue shirt) checks the project progress. Photo: T.T

Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, Vo Van Hung, made the observation that transportation of goods via the Quang Tri seaport and other seaports in the Central region is currently becoming more and more necessary. Of particular urgency is the transportation of large quantities of coal from Sekong province (Laos) through Vietnamese border gates.

This is an excellent chance and a catalyst for advancing the development and operation of My Thuy Port Area. The province has recently instructed departments, branches, and localities to work in tandem with MTIP investors to synchronize and actively participate in the implementation of investment procedures and site clearance work.

The investor needs to complete construction phases by the deadlines to kick off the project by the end of March 2024 and put into operations two wharves by the fourth quarter of 2025.

The construction of a deep-water port in My Thuy and the establishment of an efficient transportation network, including the Trans-Asia railway that links My Thuy to Lao Bao International Border Gate, National Highway 15D that links My Thuy to La Lay International Border Gate, and the North-South expressway, will eventually reduce the sea transport distance between the Indian and Pacific oceans.

This benefit enables My Thuy port to grow into a significant traffic hub that can accommodate the needs of Quang Tri’s Southeast Economic Zone as well as potentially expand as a hub for the transshipment of goods and traveling between regions, including those in Laos, Northeastern Thailand, and Myanmar.

Thanh Truc – Linh Pham