Ministry of Transport responds to Nghe An voters' petition on dredging and upgrading the channel to Cua Lo port

Regarding this issue, the Ministry of Transport has issued Document No. 2933/BGTVT-KHĐT replied as follows:

According to Decision No. 2368/QD-BGTVT dated July 29, 2016 of the Ministry of Transport approving the detailed planning of the North Central Seaport Group (Group 2) for the period up to 2020, with a vision to 2030, the Nam Cua Lo wharf area (belonging to Nghe An seaport) is planned as a general wharf area combined with containers for ships up to 10,000 tons.

Although investment capital for infrastructure is still difficult, the Ministry of Transport has prioritized resources to invest in upgrading the maritime route into Cua Lo port area using medium-term public investment capital for the period 2016-2020, meeting the planned ship size of up to 10,000 tons full load, 20,000 tons off load.



Since its commissioning in 2017, the waterway has proven its investment effectiveness, with the volume of goods passing through increasing year by year. At the same time, the Ministry of Transport has directed the Vietnam Maritime Administration to regularly carry out dredging and maintenance work to ensure the standards of the shipping channel according to the invested scale and to organize and effectively carry out ship dispatching work, ensuring maritime security and safety. (In 2019; 2020; 2021; 2022, 20; 54.9; 21.7; 29.4 billion VND were allocated respectively; in 2024, 48.3 billion VND was allocated and dredging is expected to begin in July 2024).

Through practical exploitation, the current route can accommodate ships up to 30,000 tons, taking advantage of maritime tides, meeting the current transportation needs for the exploitation of 05 ports with a scale for ships up to 30,000 tons, with a total length of approximately 900 m.

According to Decision No. 1579/QD-TTg dated September 22, 2021 of the Prime Minister approving the Master Plan for the development of Vietnam's seaport system for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, the Nam Cua Lo wharf area is planned for ships up to 30,000 tons and the Cua Lo channel is oriented to invest in upgrading for ships up to 30,000 tons in the period up to 2030.

Regarding the need for investment in transport infrastructure in Nghe An province, the Ministry of Transport has balanced up to VND 12,642.3 billion in the medium-term public investment plan for the 2021-2025 period to implement key expressway and national highway projects.

(The Nghi Son - Dien Chau section, part belonging to the province, is about 5,260 billion VND; the Dien Chau - Bai Vot section, part belonging to the province, is about 4,866 billion VND; the project to upgrade and expand National Highway 15A through Truong Bon Historical Site, Nghe An province is 486.6 billion VND; the project to renovate and raise the section Km0-Km36 and handle landslides and floods in the Khe Thoi - Nam Can section on National Highway 7 is 1,105 billion VND; other specialized projects are about 924.7 billion VND).

The Ministry of Transport agrees with the proposal of Nghe An province voters on the necessity of investing in upgrading the access channel to Cua Lo port according to the approved plan.

However, because the medium-term public investment plan for the 2021-2025 period and the list of accompanying projects approved by the National Assembly in Resolution No. 29/2021/QH15 dated July 28, 2021 focuses on national target programs, important national projects, and strategic infrastructure projects, it is not possible to balance resources to implement other projects, including the investment project to upgrade Cua Lo channel for ships up to 30,000 tons.

Based on the need for maritime transport development in the region in the coming time, the Ministry of Transport will coordinate with the People's Committee of Nghe An province to seek legal capital sources to report to competent authorities for consideration of investment in upgrading the channel to Cua Lo port when resources are available.

In the immediate future, the Ministry of Transport will assign the Vietnam Maritime Administration to focus on maintaining shipping channels, directing the organization of reasonable waterway traffic, ensuring maritime security and safety, and meeting transportation needs on the channel.