Clearing shipping channels to accommodate large vessels

Synchronous investment in key shipping channels

Hai Phong’s seaports are receiving increasingly large container ships and opening direct shipping routes to Europe, the Americas and other international markets. However, accommodating vessels with a carrying capacity of hundreds of thousands of tons remains challenging due to sedimentation and fluctuating channel depths.

Insufficient channel depth directly affects operation plans, vessel schedules and cargo transport efficiency. When channels become too shallow, deep-draft vessels must account for tides, wait for sufficient water levels or reduce their loads to ensure safety. This increases operating costs, reduces vessel turnaround rates and weakens the competitiveness of port operators.

According to calculations by operators at Lach Huyen Port, maintaining a channel depth of minus 8.5 m would allow vessels to enter and leave more smoothly, save 4 – 5 hours per voyage and increase cargo capacity by an additional 4,000 – 5,000 tons per trip. These benefits are significant as shipping lines increasingly favor large vessels to reduce transportation costs.

Nguyen Viet Dung, a senior maritime pilot at Northern Maritime Pilot One Member Co., Ltd., said guiding large vessels into port requires a high level of expertise and close coordination. Pilots must have a thorough understanding of channel conditions, tides and traffic management plans and, at the same time, coordinate with port authorities, tugboats and maritime service providers. Safety requirements become even more stringent when channels are restricted to one-way traffic and turning basins are limited.

Clearing channels to boost seaport competitiveness

In response to sedimentation and growing demand for berths capable of accommodating large vessels, the city has combined business resources with public investment to prepare for coordinated upgrades to key shipping channels.

Notably, three companies of Nam Dinh Vu Port, Hai Phong Port and Vietnam Container Shipping JSC (Viconship) participated in upgrading Ha Nam Canal using socialized funding. The entire route, from the turning basin of Hai Phong International Container Terminal to the upstream section of Dinh Vu Port, was upgraded from a design depth of minus 7 m to minus 8.5 m, increasing the capacity to accommodate large vessels in Dinh Vu area.

The city has also proactively prepared necessary conditions for dredging. Planning and designating disposal sites for dredged materials on land and offshore helps resolve bottlenecks and ensure maintenance dredging proceeds on schedule. To date, Hai Phong has designated seven disposal sites with a combined capacity to handle approximately 15 – 20 million m3 of dredged material annually.

Hai Phong now faces the need for more coordinated investment in Lach Huyen channels, Ha Nam – Bach Dang Canal and the Chanh River. Recently, the Maritime and Waterway Project Management Board has proposed the Ministry of Construction consider and approve the investment policy for a project to upgrade and expand shipping channels in Hai Phong and Quang Ninh, covering Lach Huyen, Ha Nam Canal and the Chanh River. The project is expected to require a total of VND 17.15 trillion in public investment during the 2026 – 2030 period.

As proposed, Lach Huyen channel would be widened to 320 m, allowing two-way traffic for vessels of up to 55,000 DWT and one-way traffic for vessels exceeding 55,000 DWT and up to 200,000 DWT operating at reduced loads.

The project is expected to complete investment preparation procedures, approval, technical design and contractor selection in the third quarter of 2027. Construction is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2027, with completion targeted for the fourth quarter of 2030.

Sustainable channel clearance and maintenance will help Hai Phong turn its seaport advantages into tangible competitive strength and reinforce the city’s role as an international trade gateway.

HAI MINH