A view of the existing Trần Đề seaport. — Photo kinhtedothi.vn

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Sóc Trăng is stepping up procedures to complete a pre-feasibility study report on the Trần Đề deep-water seaport project to call for investment.

The plan was made in a workshop co-organised by the provincial authority and the Ministry of Transport early this week.

The workshop aims to exchange information relating to the planning and development of the deep-water seaport in the Mekong Delta. Under the plan, the existing Trần Đề Port will be developed into an international deep-water seaport on a large scale.

Trần Văn Lâu, chairman of the provincial People's Committee, said more than 70 per cent of the import and export goods of the Mekong Delta are currently transported by road to ports in HCM City. This will prolong the time and increase transportation costs, affecting quality as well as putting great pressure on the transport system.

Lâu added the Government issued Resolution No 78 in 2022 on an action plan for the implementation of Politburo and Resolution No13 on socio-economic development orientation and ensuring national security and defence for the Mekong Delta region by 2030, which set out an orientation to develop Trần Đề into a special seaport and a gateway of this region.

Under Sóc Trăng’s plan, the total construction will cover about 5,750ha of land and water. The deep-water seaport alone will cover 1,400ha and be able to berth vessels of up to 160,000 DWT and handle 30-35 million tonnes of cargo a year by 2030.

In addition, the Prime Minister also issued Decision No 886/QĐ-TTg dated July 24, 2023, approving plans, policies, solutions and resources to implement the national seaport system development master plan from 2021-2030 with a vision to 2050. Under the approved national seaport development scheme, seaports are divided into different groups depending on the scale and function. The seaport system is connected with railway and water routes as well as the national highway and local road system.

The total investment needed for the plan until 2030 is about VNĐ313 trillion ($13.7 billion).

Accordingly, the Trần Đề port has been added by the Prime Minister to the master plan. It has identified the importance of the development of this deep-water seaport project with an expected investment capital of VNĐ50 trillion ($2.1 billion).

To carry out policies on the planning of the Trần Đề seaport, Sóc Trăng authorities worked with the Transport Ministry to urgently complete and submit a pre-feasibility for approval to call for investment. Once completed, the port will help connect with key traffic projects, including Châu Đốc-Cần Thơ-Sóc Trăng expressway projects.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyễn Xuân Sang said the ministry will complete the planning of Trần De deep-water seaport by the end of 2023. The construction of this deep-water seaport is necessary to help the Mekong Delta region have a large seaport to meet the import-export demand of million tonnes of goods annually.

According to Secretary of the Sóc Trăng Provincial Party Committee Lâm Văn Mẫn, the province will soon instruct relevant agencies to conduct a pre-feasibility study report on the construction of Trần Đề deep-water seaport. — VNS