A ceremony marking the 2017 docking of the first cargo ship at Da Nang city’s Tien Sa Port and new operation of the third Quay Container Crane at the port. — VNS Photo Cong Thanh

The Tien Sa Port in Da Nang welcomed the Panamianian-flagged Bundi Ipasa on Sunday, the first cargo ship to dock in the biggest port in central Viet Nam this year.

The Da Nang port also launched the operation of its third quay container crane (QCC) on January 1.

General director of Da Nang port, Nguyen Huu Sia, said the company plans to handle 7.6 million tonnes of cargo in 2017 including 360,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit).

“Da Nang port is a major logistics centre in central Viet Nam, with a 13 per cent growth annually. The port has 24 cargo ship arrivals every week, and container ships accounts for 60 per cent of our capacity,” Sia said. “We plan to build a new Lien Chieu Port as a major cargo port, while Tien Sa port will become the main port for cruise ships in the coming years,” he said.

He said the port also hosted 73 cruise ships with 135,000 tourists visiting the city in 2016.

The Da Nang port company also started upgrading Tien Sa Port in 2016 with a total investment of VND1.1 trillion (US$49.3 million).

According to Việt Nam’s seaport system development plan towards 2020, Da Nang port is destined to become one of the key gateways to the East Sea from the sub-Mekong region.— VNS