Đà Nẵng greenlights $606 million logistics plan

ĐÀ NẴNG — The central city of Đà Nẵng has approved a master plan for the development of its logistics infrastructure by 2030 with total investment of VNĐ13.7 trillion (US$606 million).

Vice chairman of the city’s People’s Committee Đặng Việt Dũng said the plan, which was submitted to the city’s People’s Council in the second quarter of this year, will focus on making Đà Nẵng a destination for ASEAN and Asia Pacific logistics chains.

Dũng said the city will allocate 312ha of land for logistics infrastructure with a series of linked roads, railway sections and stations, a cargo airport, storage and a sea port as well as the national expressway system.

He said according to the plan, the railway system will handle 55 per cent of total cargo that goes through Đà Nẵng, while the airport and sea ports will host 40 per cent each in 2045.

By 2030, the Đà Nẵng International Airport will be able to handle 28 million tourists and 200,000 tonnes of cargo annually, while the sea port system will host 30 million tonnes of cargo per year.

The city, which is home to a 40km section of the country’s north-south railway system, has 2,500 passenger arrivals each day and 20,000 tonnes of cargo per year.

A storage system on Sơn Trà peninsula of Đà Nẵng. The city plans to become a destination for the ASEAN logistics sector. — VNS Photo Công Thành

According to the Việt Nam Logistics Association, Đà Nẵng would see a rapid growth in logistics as it is situated at the end of the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) that links Việt Nam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar. It also sits along the Đà Nẵng-Quảng Ngãi Expressway as well as the north-south Việt Nam national highway and railway system.

It said the city will develop as a transit hub for cargo from Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, the Central Highlands region and the Greater-sub Mekong, equipped to handle the specific demands of cargo shippers, oil tankers and regular shipping routes.

The city’s sea port system, which can handle 12 million tonnes of cargo each year, currently hosts 23 cargo ships per week from 15 shipping agencies from Europe, the US, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Tiên Sa Port alone can accommodate 70,000DWT (deadweight tonnage) ships, 4,000TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) container ships and 150GT (gross tonnage) cruise ships.

The city will develop Liên Chiểu Port as an integrated port and a key ASEAN cargo destination in the plan’s first stage (2019-22).

According to the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, the 1,450km EWEC road will help Đà Nẵng boost its Regional Gross Domestic Products by 2.29 per cent by 2025. — VNS