On August 31st, 2012, Cai Lan International Container Terminal (CICT) welcomed the first vessel call of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A., to discharge and load about 2,000 containers.
The 2,020 TEU container vessel “MSC Pylos”, berthed CICT at 15:00 hours on August 31st, 2012”, is one of the three vessels, running on MSC’s Tongking Service (Cai Lan – Quy Nhon – Ho Chi Minh – Hong Kong – Shantou – Hong Kong – Cai Lan), calling weekly at CICT.
Commenting on this event, Mr. Patrick Avice, General Director of CICT, said:
“We are very happy to receive the first vessel call from MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A to mark the opening of CICT. Starting from August 1st, 2012, CICT is able to accommodate 4,000 TEU container vessels and other types of vessel up to 50,000 DWT fully-loaded. We will strive to provide an excellent service for our customers with high production.”
CICT is a joint venture company between SSA Holdings International - Vietnam, a subsidiary of the American Company - Carrix, Inc., and Cai Lan Port Investment Consortium which main shareholders are Vinalines, the Vietnam National Shipping Lines, and Quang Ninh Port.
CICT is located along the left shore bank of Hon Gai - Cai Lan channel in the territory of Bai Chay ward, Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province, in the North of Vietnam, having the closest location by road and railways to the Great Mekong subregion, including Southwest China markets with a population base of more than 400 million people. CICT is approximately 90 kms from Bac Ninh province and 150 kms from Noi Bai airport.
The construction of berth 2,3 & 4 of CICT began in December 2010 and up to August 1st, 2012, for the soft opening, CICT has 2 berths available with 387m of quay length, 09 ha of container yard, 4 Post-Panamax Ship to Shore cranes, 12 Rubber Tyred Gantry cranes; 03 Reach Stackers, 04 Side Picks and 28 Terminal Tractors with a terminal capacity of 260,000 TEUs.
For the official opening, expected in December 2012, CICT will have a total of 594m of berth, 18.1 ha of container yard, the same equipment and facilities as at the soft opening with a terminal capacity of 520,000 TEUs. CICT has the capabilities to expand the container yard and invest in more equipment in order to reach full capacity of 1.2 million TEUs, currently estimated on 2016 onwards.
Vietnam Shipper