MSC Auriga arrives at the SP-SSA International Terminal, a deep-sea port in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province (Photo courtesy of SP-SSA International Terminal)

The ship, MSC Auriga, belonging to MSC shipping line offers direct container services to the US.

SP-SSA International Terminal is a joint venture established in 2006 by SSA Marine of Seattle in the US and two Vietnamese companies, Vinalines and Saigon Port.

Located in the downstream area of the Cai Mep River, it was built to handle large container vessels and is equipped with modern container handling equipment, including the largest STS cranes in Vietnam, a land area of 60 hectares and 600 metres of berth length.

It also has 445 metres of specialised berth for handling barges from inland container depots and ports in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Binh Duong.

The Cai Mep – Thi Vai port complex is a group of deep-water seaports with a combined length of over 20km, which account for over 30 percent of the country’s exports by containers, which are expected to be a trade gateway in the south.

Gemalink is the biggest seaport in the Cai Mep-Thi Vai complex and one of the 19 big seaports in the world which is capable of receiving the world’s biggest cruise liners. Built at a total investment of 520 million USD in two phases, the port is equipped with ship-to-shore cranes designed and manufactured in Vietnam. When the first phase of the port is inaugurated in May, it will run at least 80 percent of its designed capacity this year and at full capacity from next year./.

BTA