According to Nam, HCM City has around 900 kilometres of waterways, accounting for 50% of the city’s total road length. The city’s river and canal system are connected to many localities.

In recent years, HCM City has welcomed more large foreign ships, but these have been prevented from entering the city centre due to bridges. Instead, the ships have had to dock at ports which are far from the city centre.

Besides the bridges, the 55-metre height of the electric wire network along local rivers also restricts the travel of many ships.

Therefore, it is necessary to build an international transshipment port in Can Gio District which boasts great potential for waterways transport.

Under the Vietnamese port development plan for the 2021–2030 period, and a vision for 2050 which was approved by the government last year, Can Gio Port will be able to serve 150,000-tonne ships.

Pham Anh Tuan, Director of Portcoast Consultant Corporation, said that in the near future, the city will build Thu Thiem 4 Bridge across Sai Gon River, which is even lower than Phu My Bridge. This means that only small ships will be able pass under the bridge.

Bui Hoa An, Deputy Director of the HCM City Department of Transport, said that the vertical height of most bridges across HCM City’s rivers are quite low, affecting the waterways transport. The city has considered heightening the vertical height of some bridges, such as Binh Trieu and Binh Phuoc; however, this task is facing difficulties due to capital shortage.

Source: Dtinews