Business News

The Vietnam Maritime Administration has requested that associations, seaport companies and shipping companies be exempted or allowed to pay reduced service fees for containers stored at seaports for a long time.

The United States’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to grant a Category 1 rating to Vietnam soon, allowing its airlines to fly to the US and codeshare with US carriers, according to the Strait Times.

The central province of Quảng Trị is going to build a seaport at a cost of VNĐ14 trillion (US$614 million) at local Mỹ Thủy Beach in an attempt to boost development of the province’s key economic zone.

The central city of Da Nang has approved a master plan for the development of its logistics infrastructure by 2030 with total investment of VND13.7 trillion (US$606 million).

The logistics sector has been the bottleneck for Việt Nam’s economic development, but offers plentiful opportunities for local startup companies with the application of technologies.

The Ministry of Transport has released the new fees for seaport services to be applied at local seaports, with many fees edging up by between 10% and 50%. The new fees will come into effect on January 1, 2019, Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper reported.

The southern province of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu has set a goal to develop logistics into a major service sector with a focus on seaport development. The Vũng Tàu Shipbuilding and Oil Services Joint-Stock Company will invest in the new logistics centre and container port.

International shipping lines could face a 10 per cent increase in container handling service charges at ports in the northern region, starting from early 2019 under the Ministry of Transport’s latest proposals. However, many concerns over the possible logistics cost hikes have been raised. Bich Thuy reports.