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VietNamNet Bridge – Businesses
sighed with relief after hearing that the commodity jam at ports had been
settled. However, experts have warned about the risks of another commodity
deadlock, and a larger-scale one.
New deadlock
forecast
Hoang Tat Thang,
Deputy Head of the Vietnam Maritime Bureau, released shocking information at a
meeting yesterday gathering representatives of the Ministry of Industry and
Trade, HCM City People’s Committee and relevant branches: he had been informed
by the Phu My Bridge BOT Joint Stock Company that from September 2008 to July
2009, ships with the height of over 37.75m will not be able to pass underneath
the bridge (because of the construction of Phu My Bridge).
As such, only ships to dock at Cat
Lai port will not be influenced by this as they will not have to go underneath
the bridge, while ships to dock at other ports all will suffer. Meanwhile, Cat
Lai only undertakes 44% of total imports-exports, while other ports the other
56%.
Thang said that the biggest problem
now is that ships with heights of over 37.75m account for 33% of total
ships.
According to Ho Kim Lan, Secretary
General of the Vietnam Seaport Association, ships of more than 37.75m in height
are ships which can carry a lot of commodities. It is estimated that some 60-70%
of commodities will be affected.
No solution has been
found
Deputy Minister of Industry and
Trade Nguyen Thanh Bien said that the new information proves to be worrying.
Bien suggested that the ships of more than 37.75m in height dock at Cat Lai port
while shorter ships go to other ports.
However, Lan does not think that
this is a feasible solution, saying that ships get used to their ports. For
example, the ships carrying travellers of Saigon Tourist can dock at Saigon port only, while they cannot dock at Cat Lai port.
Moreover, shipping agents all have signed long-term contracts with ports, and
they will not be able to shift to other ports.
Awaiting final decision from
government
Deputy Chairwoman of the HCM City
People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Hong and Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade
Nguyen Thanh Bien both stated at yesterday’s meeting that the commodity jam
could repeat in the time to come, and on a larger scale, as the volume of
imports and exports going through ports always increases at the end of years.
HCM City authorities and the ministry are
going to propose the government give urgent instructions to deal with the
problem.
‘Commodity jam’ fee burdening
businesses
Businesses also complained at the
meeting that they still have to pay the so-called ‘commodity jam’ fee. In fact,
the HCM City People’s Committee has had several meetings to discuss the problem,
but to no avail.
According to Tran Huy Hien,
Secretary General of the Vietnam Freight Forwarding Association, the information
that shipping agents have stopped collecting commodity jam fees was not true.
Hien affirmed that shipping agents are still collecting the fee. TS Line began
collecting the fee as of August 1, while MOL has announced it will begin
collecting a fee as of September 1, and Yangminh August 11.
(Source: PL TP HCM, NLD,
VnMedia) | 
