HCMC inspects Cai Mep – Thi Vai as Portcoast presents new seaport development orientation

By www.sggp.org.vn- 20/09/2025

On the morning of September 20, 2025, Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, led a working delegation on a field survey of the Cái Mép – Thị Vải seaport system and the Long Son Petrochemicals Complex (LSP) in Long Son commune, HCMC. Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, General Director of Portcoast, presented to the delegation the development orientation for the new Ho Chi Minh City seaport.

Speaking at the survey, Comrade Nguyen Van Duoc expressed his delight at the plant’s resumption of operations. He emphasized that this is not only good news for the enterprise but also a positive signal for Ho Chi Minh City and the whole country. When operating at full capacity, the complex can generate an annual revenue of about USD 1.5 billion, contributing more than USD 150 million to the state budget, not only promoting socio-economic development but also creating jobs for about 1,000 workers, of which more than 300 are local employees.

On the morning of September 20, Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc led a working delegation on a field survey at the Cai Mep – Thi Vai seaport system and the Long Son Petrochemicals Complex (LSP) in Long Son commune, HCMC.

In the report to the delegation, Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, General Director of Portcoast Consultant Corporation, presented the development orientation for the new HCMC seaport. According to the plan, an international passenger port of 30,000 GT with a capacity of about 1,200 passengers, suitable for the clearance of Phu My Bridge, will be formed on the Saigon River area, combined with yacht berths. At Mui Den Do, an international passenger port of 60,000 GT (1,600 – 2,200 passengers) will be built, while super cruise ships of 6,000 – 8,000 passengers are expected to dock at the Bai Truoc area, Vung Tau.

After consolidation, the new HCMC seaport is expected to rank among the world’s Top 10 container ports. In Cai Mep alone, 328 million tons of cargo were handled in 2024 (including HCMC, Dong Nai, and Tay Ninh), accounting for 38% of the country’s total cargo volume. Container throughput reached 21.2 million TEU (including HCMC and BR-VT previously), equivalent to 71% of Vietnam’s total container throughput.

One of the key highlights is Gemalink Port. Phase 1 of the port has a length of 800m, capable of accommodating container vessels of 250,000 DWT/24,000 TEU – ranking among the world’s leading ports. The port has shown strong growth in throughput and is preparing to commence Phase 2, while being directly connected with SSIT terminal. At the same time, Cai Mep Ha (CMH) and downstream CMH are designed in a comb-shape layout with nearly 19km of berths, offering a potential capacity of up to 40 million TEU – double the current throughput of port cluster No. 4. The entire corridor from CMIT to downstream CMH will become Vietnam and the region’s leading international gateway and transshipment port cluster.

The delegation then surveyed LSP – a strategic FDI project of SCG Chemicals (Thailand) with a total investment of over USD 5 billion, accounting for more than one-third of Thailand’s total FDI in Vietnam. After a 9-month technical suspension, LSP officially restarted operations of Vietnam’s first fully integrated petrochemical complex. The resumption took place against the backdrop of falling crude oil prices, helping to improve profit margins and demonstrating the company’s proactivity in maintaining supply chains and customer engagement.

The 464-ha complex in Long Son includes an olefins plant with a capacity of 1.35 million tons/year, three polyolefin plants with a total capacity of 1.4 million tons/year, along with tank farms, dedicated port facilities, and related utilities. LSP’s main products are PE (HDPE, LLDPE) and PP resins, serving both domestic and export markets, contributing to reducing polyolefin imports and supporting downstream industries.

In addition to restarting, LSP is implementing the LSPE Upgrade Project with an investment of USD 500 million, expected to be completed by 2027. The project aims to integrate ethane gas into the existing feedstock portfolio, reducing operating costs by more than 30%, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and enhancing long-term competitiveness. Key items include importing 1 million tons of ethane/year from the United States, transported by five 50,000-ton VLEC ships, constructing two cryogenic ethane tanks of 55,000 tons each, and upgrading the plant to handle up to 70% ethane in its input feedstock.

Mr. Kulachet Dharachandra, General Director of LSP, stated that diversifying feedstock with ethane is a strategic step toward sustainable development. The LSPE project not only helps the company optimize costs but also creates more than 1,000 jobs during construction, while contributing to strengthening Vietnam–U.S. trade relations.”

Speaking at the survey, Comrade Nguyen Van Duoc expressed his delight at the plant’s resumption of operations. He emphasized that this is not only good news for the enterprise but also a positive signal for Ho Chi Minh City and the whole country. When operating at full capacity, the complex can generate an annual revenue of about USD 1.5 billion, contributing more than USD 150 million to the state budget, not only promoting socio-economic development but also creating jobs for about 1,000 workers, of which more than 300 are local employees.

Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc affirmed that HCMC always listens to and accompanies enterprises, ready to remove difficulties to create the most favorable conditions for business operations. He expressed his hope that LSP would continue to maintain efficient operations, expand investment, thereby affirming its position in the petrochemical industry in line with green, sustainable, and environmentally friendly development directions.

Previously, the delegation also inspected Gemalink Port – a deep-water port under Gemadept Group. This is the only terminal in Cai Mep capable of handling container vessels up to 250,000 DWT, ranking among the 19 ports worldwide meeting this standard. With an investment of nearly USD 400 million, Phase 1 of Gemalink consists of 800m of wharf and 32ha of yard. After four years of operation, the port has achieved a throughput of 6 million TEU; in 2024 alone, it received 525 vessels with 1.75 million TEU, and in 2025 is expected to handle nearly 2 million TEU.

According to the new plan, Gemalink will be extended by an additional 390m of wharf, connected with SSIT and CMH, forming a continuous 3.5km wharf line by 2030. The entire area from CMIT to CMH could reach a total berth length of 22km, surpassing the scale of Singapore Port, creating an outstanding competitive advantage in accommodating ultra-large vessels and international cargo handling.

Gemalink is currently considered a bright spot in mobilizing private capital for seaport infrastructure development. Notably, CMA-CGM has committed to choosing Gemalink as its transshipment hub in Asia, shifting more than 2 million TEU from Malaysia and Singapore to Cai Mep. At the same time, major carriers such as MSC, ONE, COSCO, OOCL, Evergreen have opened direct routes from Gemalink to the U.S., Europe, and Africa.

With natural advantages, stable cargo sources, and synchronized planning, Gemalink has proposed that the HCMC People’s Committee soon approve the investment policy for the CMH general port project. This proposal aligns with Politburo Resolution 24, Government Resolution 154, and Vietnam’s seaport development plan, aiming to turn Cai Mep – Thi Vai into a leading international transshipment hub in the region.

"HCMC is oriented to become a financial – service center; Binh Duong to develop high-tech industries; Ba Ria – Vung Tau to be a marine economic region, focusing on seaports and oil refining – petrochemicals. Within this overall strategy, Cai Mep – Thi Vai port cluster and Long Son Petrochemicals Complex play a particularly important role as growth drivers for the entire Southeast region,” emphasized Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc.