Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung recently approved a development plan for
Vietnam’s shipping industry for 2020, with a vision for 2030, aiming to
ease the transportation burden on roads.
According
to the plan, the majority of imports and exports are to be transported
by sea, embedding Vietnam further into the global shipping network and
connecting the country to distant destinations, such as Northern Europe
or South America.
By 2020, the industry is expected
to meet nearly all domestic shipping needs, and provide high quality
services and competitive fees.
The objective is to
ship 140-152 million tonnes of goods, including 40-46 million tonnes
internationally, and have a shipping fleet with a total carrying
capacity of 6.84-7.52 million Deadweight Tonnes (DWT).
In the meantime, the industry will run refresher courses for 27,000
officers and crew members and will train 15,000 new recruits.
The development plan will require the investment of 20-30 trillion VND
(1-1.5 billion USD) by 2020, with the majority of funds being mobilised
by businesses themselves.
To ensure a smooth
implementation process, Vietnam will streamline administrative
procedures in sea ports and the registration process for new ships,
apply information technology, such as e-customs in management, and
encourage investments in growing the shipping fleet.
The plan also requires the restructuring of the Vietnam National
Shipping Lines and the Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Corporation to be
sped up, and an extensive maritime service network to be established to
improve the competitiveness of the country’s shipping industry.-VNA