A joint venture terminal, which has Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and Wan Hai Lines as partners, at Haiphong in Northern Vietnam capable of handling 14,000 TEU capacity containerships was officially launched on Sunday.
The opening ceremony for Haiphong International Container Terminal (HICT) at Lach Huyen Port was held on Sunday. The terminal is owned 51% by Saigon Newport Co, 17.5% by MOL, 16.5% by Wan Hai Lines and 15% by Itochu Corp.
HICT is the first terminal in Northern Vietnam capable of handling 14,000 TEU containerships and also marks the official opening of Lach Huyen Port.
The port will allows large container vessels to call offering direct links onto the long haul trades between Asia and Europe/North America.
Lach Huyen Port construction project is the first Public Private Partnership (PPP) between the government of Japan and Vietnam. MOL is also participating in the tugboat business at Lach Huyen Port.
HICT has two berths totalling 750m in length and can handle 1m teu annually.
MOL is also has 21.33% stake Tan Cang – Cai Mep International Terminal in the south of Vietnam. Cai Mep was the first port in the country to be able to handle container vessels of 10,000 teu and larger.
MOL’s container line activities operate as operate as part of Ocean Network Express (ONE), a joint venture with fellow Japanese companies K Line and NYK, which started operations on 1 April this year.