The seaport is expected to have the capacity of handling 5,000 to 6,000 passengers and container vessels as well. — Photo: chinhphu.vn

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — The government on November 19 announced that the Prime Minister has approved the construction of a seaport of internationally accepted standards in Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang province.

The Prime Minister asked the officials of the southern province of Kien Giang People's Committee and the ministries of transportation, finance and planning and investment to reach an agreement on the investment, selection of investors and the state budget contribution for the project.

He also asked the concerned ministries to instruct the Kien Giang officials to develop policies and incentives to attract investors to the project.

The seaport will be constructed in Duong Dong town in Phu Quoc Island. Its pier will be 400m long and 19m wide. A 1,020-metre-long bridge will be built to connect the pier with the shore. The seaport is expected to have the capacity of handling 5,000 to 6,000 passengers and container vessels as well.

The project investment is estimated to be VND1,254 billion (or US$58 billion). The first of the two phases of construction will be worth VND1,089 billion ($51 billion).

The Kien Giang province will call for investors to develop the seaport under a public-private partnership model. Vingroup has shown interest in the project.

The number of tourists arriving by sea at Phu Quoc Island is expected to rise annually by 105,000 to 190,000 by 2020, and by 350,000 to 550,000 by 2030. — VNS