Goods are loaded at Cat Lai Port in HCM City. The Sai Gon Newport Corporation has taken steps to curb overloading at the country's biggest port by increasing fees on containers and refusing to receive container goods from surrounding ports. — VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hung

HCM CITY (Biz Hub) —  Sai Gon Newport Corporation has taken steps to curb overloading at Cat Lai Port - the main port in this southern city and the biggest in Viet Nam.

This includes increasing many fees relating to containers, from next month, and refusing to receive container goods from surrounding ports.

At present, more than 80 per cent of goods exported or imported through HCM City and neighbouring provinces go through the port.

Vice director general of the corporation, Ngo Trong Phan, told Hai quan (Customs) newspaper that in the last few months, the number of containers at the port had risen sharply, reducing the flow of goods and slowing down other port services.

In addition, a recent rule by the Ministry of Transport on controlling the load of vehicles on roads has forced transport firms to adjust their operations.

Some said they needed time to find more vehicles, so goods had to wait longer at port.

The new e-customs clearance procedures also allows an extral 300-350 containers into the port each day, while the number departing has fallen by up to 300.

Vice head of the Sai Gon Port Customs Division, Nguyen Thi Bong, said that more than 250 containers went through Customs' scanning equipment each day, but only 200 containers could be unloaded.

Phan said that to reduce the time goods stayed at the port, the corporate had imposed higher fees.

He added that fees for frozen and dried goods staying at port for more than six days were now nearly doubled after this period.

From next month, Cat Lai Port will not receive containers from neighbouring ports in HCM City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

The corporation also plans to buy more cranes for loading and unloading goods and to expand its container terminal.

It also suggested shipping firms receive and deliver goods at Cai Mep Port if they had ships docked there instead of transiting through Cat Lai.

As reported in Hai quan newspaper yesterday, many import-export companies have complained about goods congestion at the port, time-consuming Customs-clearance procedures - and the new fees.— VNS