Bustling freight transport during Tet holiday

(Baonghean) - From the beginning of the 11th lunar month onwards is the time when freight transport businesses enter the busiest season of the year - the season to serve the Tet market.

From maritime transport

Viet-Nhat Joint Stock Company is one of three shipping lines specializing in container transportation through Cua Lo port. The main products currently are beer and various types of stone powder from Nghe An to the whole country. It was very difficult for us to meet Mr. Nguyen Quoc Khanh - Director of the shipping line because he was always busy with partners to sign contracts, arrange vehicles, etc.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Khanh said that the company specializes in transporting containerized goods by sea. In January 2016 alone, the volume reached 28,000 tons, of which 60% were stone powder and stone products such as tiles, wall tiles; 30% were Sabeco beer products, Nghe Tinh beer, cans; 5% TH milk and the remaining 5% were other products. TH milk alone passes through the port every month, 100 containers equivalent to 250 tons. This is currently the peak of freight transport in the year, with an average of 150 tons of goods transported per day. To meet the order requirements, employees will not have Tet holidays and will take compensatory days off later.

Loading and unloading goods at Cua Lo Port

Currently, there are 10 container ships of 3 shipping lines, Nhat Viet, Dai Tay Duong, Vinafco, opening routes at Cua Lo Port, meeting the frequency of goods circulation of import-export owners through the port by container and the container cargo throughput through the port has grown steadily every year from 10-15%. Mr. Nguyen Danh Hai - Head of Business Planning Department, Nghe Tinh Port said: Recently, we opened an international container cargo transit route from Cua Lo Port - Hai Phong, moving towards opening an international container route from Cua Lo - Hong Kong. By opening a new transport route, it will contribute to solving the problem of transporting goods by road for import-export enterprises through Cua Lo Port. On December 26, 2015 - the last day of the year, Nghe Tinh Port welcomed the 3,000,000th ton of cargo through the port. 2015 – for the first time, Nghe Tinh Port achieved an output of 3,050,000 tons, an increase of nearly 10% compared to 2014. November and December of the lunar calendar are the months when cargo throughput through the port increases. Specifically, in December 2015 (November of the lunar calendar), the volume of cargo loaded and unloaded through the seaport reached more than 338 tons, and in January 2016 it was 250 tons.

Currently, Nghe Tinh Port has completed the project to upgrade Cua Lo Port to receive 15,000 DWT full-load ships and 25,000 DWT reduced-load ships with a total capital of 13,470 billion VND. By welcoming large-tonnage ships into the port, it will create conditions for Cua Lo Port to become a national type I hub port serving the socio-economic development of the region and inter-regions with a scale of 8 berths allowing ships from 30,000 to 50,000 tons to enter and exit the port, with a capacity of 5-6 million tons/year.

To road transport

In recent times, the number of freight vehicles has grown rapidly, while the volume of goods in the province in particular and the country in general has decreased in the past year due to the economic recession, leading to a surplus of vehicles and a shortage of goods for transportation. However, from the end of the 10th lunar month onwards, freight transport businesses in the province have signed many orders to transport goods for Tet. During the construction season, Tet season... transport businesses do not have enough vehicles to operate. By the end of October, transport contracts were fully booked when the average volume of goods transported during the year-end period increased sharply, about 100% compared to normal days.

Mr. Nguyen Viet Hung - Head of Transport Management Department (Department of Transport) said: "In recent years, the number of freight vehicles has increased quite rapidly. In 2015 alone, the Department of Transport granted transport business licenses to 58 freight transport units, issued driving badges to 444 container trucks and 268 freight tractors. After the Government issued a policy to ban agricultural vehicles from operating, many of these vehicle owners borrowed money to buy trucks to replace their old vehicles, so the number of trucks has also increased day by day...".

Traffic police check vehicle load at Dien An weighing station

Hop Manh Co., Ltd. specializes in transporting goods on the Laos, Thailand - China route and vice versa. Currently, this company has 40 container trucks, with revenue in 2015 reaching over 20 billion VND. Bui Quy Lap, Director of Hop Manh Co., Ltd., said: Our company specializes in transporting goods from Vinh to Lang Son. Currently, this is the peak business season, the main goods are fruits from China to Thailand and vice versa. Usually, to have goods running, truck owners compete quite fiercely, mainly by lowering shipping rates. In many cases, there is no source of goods, each month the truck only operates 10-15 days, but during the Tet season, the truck runs at full capacity.

Currently, in addition to the force participating in ensuring traffic safety for passenger transport, the load control stations still operate 24/24h. Since the end of 2015, the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Transport have issued many documents guiding and urging transport business units to strictly implement the conditions for freight transport business and control vehicle load according to the roadmap prescribed by the Government and the Ministry of Transport. Maintain the operation of Mobile Vehicle Load Control Station No. 15; establish inspection teams to coordinate with local authorities to focus on strictly and thoroughly handling oversized and overloaded vehicles in mining areas, cargo loading and unloading ports, cement factories, contractors, quarries, construction material supply yards, etc.

According to Mr. Nguyen Sy Thang - Chief Inspector of Traffic, Department of Transport, the end of the year is the business time of road transport enterprises, the amount of goods and passengers increases dramatically. Identifying this as the time when many violations of transport will appear, therefore, to minimize traffic accidents, ensure safety for people and vehicles as well as traffic infrastructure, the traffic inspection force has increased its force to tighten transport work. With the result of reducing 95% of overloaded vehicles in the past year, Nghe An is currently actively mobilizing freight transport enterprises to strictly carry the correct load.

Thu Huyen