From zero to hero – but short in the leg

Recently Cai Mep snagged a large slice of the Vietnam origin Transpacific transhipment cargoes moving via Hong Kong and Taiwan. Malcolm Gregory of Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT) told Port Strategy that “more may follow”, as European direct services also migrate from transhipment services via Singapore and Malaysia to direct from Cai Mep.

Mr Gregory says the port, which hardly felt the dent from the downturn which severely knocked its Asiatic neighbours, has presently 14 direct calls from a starting point of zero in the past two years.

However, Mr Gregory explains that the ships sizes have been going up at a rate that has outpaced even recent port developments. He explains that CMIT – getting going now after a couple of delays – is really moving forward with its volume. And a bit more ‘leg room’ would already be appreciated as the berth length leaves it “just a couple of metres short of being able to service two post-panamax ships at the same time”.

Mr Gregory adds “When the berth lengths were being parcelled out, people had no idea that the ship sizes would increase by this much”. As an example, he explains that four VLCCs ships are due into CMIT one after the other, “so we are going to have to show how efficiency works”.

Cai Mep could also position itself to be a hub for some of China’s nearer output too, as the bigger country has a lengthening supply chain – due to its ‘Go West’ policy – and increasing costs.