Goods loaded at Hai Phong Port. — VNA/VNS Photo

The number of ships docking at Vietnamese seaports has fallen due to COVID-19 pandemic, but the volume of goods passing through the ports has recorded impressive growth.

The number of vessels has decreased by about 15 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The Quang Ninh-China route has seen the number of arrivals decreasing by 48 per cent.

However, the Vietnam Maritime Administration said the volume of goods passing through Vietnamese ports had grown in the first two months of this year, estimated at nearly 95.7 million tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 10 per cent.

Container volume was estimated at more than 3.1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), an increase of 14 per cent compared to last year.

The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho saw a volume up by 50 per cent, due to coal-fired power plants that needed fuel to operate.

The provinces such as Quang Ngai, Quang Tri and Hue also witnessed an increase in goods volume of between 18 and 23 per cent.

However, some ports reported a drop in the volume of goods, including Quang Nam (72 per cent), An Giang and Nam Dinh (33-36 per cent), and HCM City (18 per cent).

The Viet Nam Maritime Administration told Bao Giao Thong (Transport) newspaper that it had been sending updates to port authorities to co-ordinate closely with relevant agencies to control ships, boats and crew members entering and leaving ports, especially those from China, Japan and South Korea.

Ships arriving, leaving or transiting should continue to operate normally to ensure import and export activities, but measures needs to be taken to prevent and control the pandemic.

For passenger ships, the Viet Nam Maritime Administration required port authorities to co-ordinate with the medical quarantine centre and tour operators to request crew members and passengers to make health declarations before embarking. — VNS