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| Import and export activities at Tan Cang – Hai Phong International Container Terminal (TC-HICT). Photo: T.Bình |
An important contribution to that result is the role of Lach Huyen Port Customs Control and Supervision Team under the Dinh Vu Port Customs Branch (Hai Phong Customs Department).
Efficiency from the “3 in 1” model
Talking to Customs News, a representative of Dinh Vu Port Customs Branch said that, on November 9, 2022, the unit had completed procedures for 1,535 containers of imported goods and 781 containers of exported goods at TC-HICT port. These were shipments marking the milestone of 1 million teus of imports and exports through TC-HICT port from the time of operation (May 13, 2018) to the present.
Talking about the state management of customs in the area, the leader of the Customs Branch said that in order to serve the operation of Lach Huyen port and ensure the state management of customs, facilitate imports and exports, the Lach Huyen Port Customs Control and Supervision Team was established under Decision 1185/QD-TCHQ dated April 11, 2018, of the General Department of Vietnam Customs.
To meet the requirements of procedures, facilitate cargo clearance of enterprises and management in the context of streamlining the apparatus, Lach Huyen port Customs control and supervision team was piloted to simultaneously perform three functions and tasks, including conducting physical inspection of goods, customs supervision, and coordination in anti-smuggling at seaport border gates.
This is the “3 in 1” team model under the first and only branch at Hai Phong Customs Department up to this point.
In fact, TC-HICT is the farthest port from the center (approximately 30 km) among the ports under the management of Hai Phong Customs Department, so the arrangement of a “3 in 1” team helps to ensure the customs management, especially quick cargo clearance for businesses.
“Over the past four years of operation, it has proven the effectiveness of the unit’s operating model. Currently, although there are only 15 customs officers, the Team still ensures effective task performance. To further improve the efficiency of the physical inspection of goods, in June 2019, the Team was assigned to manage a mobile container scanning machine. Thanks to the mobile scanning machine, the physical inspection and cargo clearance of enterprises is faster and more convenient,” the leader of Dinh Vu port Customs Branch said.
Lots of space for development
According to a representative of Saigon Newport Corporation, since receiving the first containers in May 2018, TC-HICT has grown thanks to the organization that exploits the advantage of the location in Lach Huyen international deep-water gateway as well as customer advantages and service innovation.
Promoting the advantage of being a deep-sea port, in 2019, TC-HICT organized a ceremony to welcome 12,000 teus ships on the voyage from Hai Phong to the West Coast of the United States. In 2020, TC-HICT port recorded the event of welcoming the 500,000th teus container.
From the beginning of 2022 until now, the port has continuously welcomed new maritime service routes and on October 31, 2022, the port successfully welcomed the Wanhai A07 ship with a capacity of 13,000 teus, equivalent to 143,000 DWT. Thus, with the reception of large ships entering the port, the ships can operate directly from TC-HICT without having to transship through other ports in Asia or Europe.
As of November 9, 2022, TC-HICT received 14 maritime service routes per week, including six trans-Pacific service routes directly to the Americas; one service route to Australia, two routes to India and other intra-Asian service routes.
A representative of Dinh Vu port Customs Branch said that since the beginning of 2022, after the Covid-19 pandemic was basically controlled, import and export activities through TC-HICT port area were much more active. From the beginning of the year to October 15, there were 406,892 containers of import and export goods cleared. In particular, 243,200 containers of exports and 163,692 containers of imports.
With the actual operation and development orientation, the experts, managers and local authorities evaluated that import and export activities through Lach Huyen international port area in the coming years would be much more exciting. The reason is that in Decision 1579/QD-TTg dated September 22, 2021 of the Prime Minister on the master plan for the development of Vietnam’s seaport system in the period of 2021 – 2030, with a vision to 2050, Hai Phong seaport and Ba Ria – Vung Tau seaport is classified as two special ports. In particular, the goal from now to 2030 is to prioritize the development of international gateway ports of Lach Huyen (Hai Phong) and Cai Mep (Ba Ria – Vung Tau).
Besides TC-HICT port (a joint venture between Saigon Newport Corporation and MITSUI O.S.K Lines Co., Ltd. of Japan; Wan Hai Lines of Taiwan, China; Itochu Group of Japan), in the area of Lach Huyen international gateway port, Hai Phong Port Joint Stock Company is promoting the construction of terminal No. 3, No. 4. At the same time, the Prime Minister approved the investment policy to build the terminal No. 5, No. 6 (invested by Hateco Group Joint Stock Company).
Hai Phong Customs Department is closely following the goals and development of Lach Huyen port area to deploy appropriate management, meet the requirements of state management of customs and facilitate import and export activities of the business community.