The Grand Opening of Tan Cang Que Vo Dry port (ICD): Strengthening the connection of inland waterway transport in the Northern region

Saigon Newport Corporation (SNP) announced the official launch of Tan Cang Que Vo Dry Port (ICD) on March 24, 2023, after more than two years of successful operation. Esteemed leaders from the Ministry of Transport, the Navy, and local authorities of Bac Ninh, Bac Giang Province, along with representatives from relevant ministries, 250 attendees from shipping lines, partners, import and export enterprises, logistics enterprises, associations, and specialized agencies, media agencies were present at the launch of Tan Cang Que Vo Dry Port (ICD) as a Dry Port and inland clearance point. The grand opening ceremony was also broadcast online, with the participation of over 500 domestic and international audiences, underscoring the significant role that Tan Cang Que Vo Dry Port (ICD) is poised to play in Vietnam's port and logistics industry.
 

The Tan Cang Que Vo Dry Port (TCQV) is strategically situated on National Highway 18, along the Hanoi - Hai Duong - Quang Ninh - Hai Phong route, providing a convenient transport link for both road and water traffic. It serves as a vital connecting point for goods exchange between Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Thai Nguyen, and Hanoi, and the seaports in Hai Phong. As an integral component of the logistics eco-system of SNP, TCQV is well-positioned to emerge as one of the primary logistics hubs in the Northern key economic zone. By leveraging TCQV's strategic location, its port-logistics ecosystem infrastructure, digitization capabilities, and multimodal transportation operations, SNP is committed to offering customers flexible, efficient, and cost-effective logistics solutions that add substantial value.

TCQV spans over an expansive 10-hectare area, and possesses the capacity to accommodate barges with a maximum tonnage of 160 TEUs, complemented by a 650-meter berth. The dry port is equipped with 5 state-of-the-art Liebherr shore cranes with a lifting capacity of 45 tons and a reach of 30 meters, and is supported by a cutting-edge and synchronized system of equipment and operating technology from the TCSG system. It also functions as a customs clearance point for import and export goods, offering a complete range of services, such as empty container depot facilities, M&R services, barge transportation services, customs services, screening, and inspection services. Since its inception, TCQV has earned the trust of leading shipping lines and agents, such as Maersk, HMM, Wanhai, SITC, SM Line, and Dongjin, who have opted to initiate exploitation codes. Furthermore, in the previous year, Tan Cang Que Vo Dry Port (ICD) successfully cleared the inaugural shipment of shipping lines ONE and SITC.
 

Tan Cang Waterway Transport (TCWT) has emerged as a trailblazer in providing customer-focused green logistics solutions, supported by a fleet of over 150 barges with a cumulative capacity of almost 10,000 TEUs. One such solution, the inland waterway route by barge from Hai Phong to Tan Cang Que Vo Dry Port (ICD) and vice versa, offers optimal benefits to logistics enterprises in the region by slashing trucking costs by 15%-30%, shortening delivery/receiving time, and enhancing the initiative in production planning. Commencing January 1st, 2023, Hai Phong City officially implemented the policy of a 50% reduction in port infrastructure fees for cargo conveyed via inland waterway transport. As a result, businesses can now save an additional 250 thousand VND for a 40-foot container from Hai Phong to Bac Ninh if transported by barge. Furthermore, barge transport delivers environmental advantages, reducing emissions by up to 75% compared to road transport, and mitigating the burden of traffic on the road network from the Northern provinces to Hai Phong City.

Due to its remarkable benefits, inland waterway transportation is a sustainable and eco-friendly mode of transportation that many developed countries around the world are actively seeking to develop.
 

TCQV is reinforced by a cluster of subsidiaries, such as the deep-water terminal Tan Cang-HICT located at Lach Huyen estuary, Tan Cang 189 - Hai Phong, Tan Cang 128 - Hai Phong, and ICD Tan Cang - Hai Phong. It operates as an extension yard that bridges the gap between the port and the factory, optimizing the capacity of the forward ports in the Hai Phong area. In October 2022, the Department of Inland Waterways selected a barge route from the Hai Phong seaports to TCQV as a pioneering waterway container transport route in the North, aimed at achieving environmental sustainability. Looking ahead, TCQV will pursue its growth strategy to evolve into a destination port, a cargo clearance hub, and a leading logistics center in the North.

During the ceremony of handling the first container in the spring of 2023 at Tan Cang Cat Lai Port, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh highlighted the significance of developing ports in tandem with advancing inland waterway transport. The inauguration of Tan Cang Que Vo Dry port (ICD) further underscores Saigon Newport's trailblazing role in implementing sustainable logistics solutions as the preeminent port operator and logistics service provider in Vietnam.