Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT) has welcomed Grete Maersk, the 1st ship of Maersk Line's Trans-pacific String, on its route from Asia to North America. With this first direct ‘Trans-pacific 6’ (TP6) vessel, weighing at 115,700 dwt and with a capacity of 9038 TEU, calling CMIT, Maersk Line has officially become a business partner of its sister company, APM Terminals, one of the three main investors in CMIT. This move tightens the relationship between the carrier and port operator and benefits their import-export customers. CMIT offers Maersk Line a 14-meter channel depth with 16.5-meter depth alongside, state-of- the-art shipside and shoreside handling facilities and over 36 hectares of container yard. more at: tuoitrenews.vn/cm...

Border guards in the southern province of Tra Vinh have discovered a ship containing military weapons at the bottom of the sea more than 20 nautical miles from Dinh An seaport. The steel, 200m-long and 40m-wide ship, contained many artillery shells and guns. The ship is believed to have sunk while transferring weapons from the North to the South during the anti-American resistance war, according to provincial border guards. — VNS

Border guards in the southern province of Tra Vinh saved four fishermen from a sunken fishing boat about 10 miles from Duyen Hai District's Dong Hai Town early yesterday morning. Two hours after receiving an alert, border guards found four fishermen floating in the sea and brought them ashore. The incident happened when the boat's anchorage line was cut, said the boat's owner, Lam Van Nhanh, also a victim. source:vietnamnews.com.vn

Vinashin Group, which almost went bankrupt last year after failing to repay debts, has got back control of in Thua Thien- Hue Province after the government changed its mind about transferring it to the local administration. The shipbuilder had transferred control of the port to the local authority at the end of June. It will now expand Chan May into a hub for industrial, commercial, and tourism development in the central region. The port was built in 2003 by the province and handed over to Vinashin in 2007. It has a 420-meter long, 12.5-meter deep wharf that can handle vessels of up to 30,000 tons. It handles 1.5 to 2 million tons of cargo a year on average. Vinashin, the country’s biggest shipbuilder, nearly went bust last year after defaulting on a US$4.1 billion debt. But the government stepped in to offer financial assistance. en.www.info.vn/ec...

In order to create most favorable conditions for Bien Xanh and VTT, the Vung Tau port authorities have set up very strict requirements on towing activities, which enterprises still cannot satisfy. However, it is quite a surprise that the two companies – Bien Xanh and VTT – have still been allowed to operate. On March 10, Liberian Hanzin Germany Vessel with the tonnage of 123,000 DWT docked at Cai Mep Thuong container port with the towing service provided by VTT. The company used three tug-boats, including one Azimuth propeller ship. Meanwhile, the Vung Tau port authorities have stipulated that in order to tug the vessels with the tonnage of more than 80,000 DWT, towing enterprises must use two Azimuth propeller ships which have the minimum capacity equal to 10 percent of the ships’ tonnage. In early April 2011, the port authorities released a document stipulating that the ships with the length of over 300 meters are now allowed to dock the ports. The document once made shipping agents and Japanese MoI shipping firm miserable because most of the ships of the firm have the length of 302 meters and they regularly docked at the deep water port in Vung Tau for goods handling. The ridiculous thing is that right after MoI terminated the relations with VTT’s rivals, in mid April 2011, the Vung Tau authorities released a new document, allowing the ships with the length of no more than 302 meters to dock the ports. Most recently, the Vung Tau port authorities made another extremely odd behavior on July 28. The story related to the accident incurred by Hao Heng 8 (Panama, 18,100 DWT). The ship got an accident one week ago when it crashed into a pier. On July 26, the port authorities allowed the ship to enter Posco Port with the support of a tug boat. On 2.30 pm of July 28, Hao Heng finished its works at the port and nearly got fully recovered. However, the port authorities then released a document, forcing Hao Heng 8 to get repaired right at the Posco port before leaving for the anchoring area. Meanwhile, the navigator believes that if Hao Heng 8 could get the support of two tug boats with the capacity of over 2000 horsepower, it will be able to leave the port safely. Only after asking for the intervention of the Vietnam Maritime Bureau, on July 29, Hao Heng 8 was allowed by the Vung Tau port authorities to leave Posco port. With the stay at Posco for repair, Hao Heng 8 had to spend 17,000 dollars. The ship owner said that since the towing company lacked a tug boat, he had to contact VTT to charter a ship. VTT then asked for the sky high fee of 10,000 dollars, while the market price was just 1000 or 1300 dollars. more at: english.vietnamne...

Doubts have been raised that seafood export enterprises are joining hands to force tra fish prices down in the domestic market. The tra fish price has plummeted by 4000-6000 dong per kilo after it reached the highest peak of 28,500-29,000 dong per kilo in May. Especially, the price of oversize fish has dropped by 7000 dong per kilo. The problem is that while the domestic tra fish price keeps decreasing, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers VASEP has still reported that the export price keeps increasing. Export price on the rise According to VASEP, the average price of the exports to the EU in the first seven months of the year was 2.7 dollars per kilo. The price represents a slight decrease from the higher peak, when the domestic price climbed to 29,000 dong per kilo, but remains firmly high. To date, Vietnam has exported 320,000 tons of tra fish, worth 829 million dollars. VASEP believes that the export revenue increased thanks to the export price increases. As for South Korean, Japanese and Swiss markets, though the domestic price has decreased, the export prices keep stable. Products have been exported to South Korea at four dollars per kilo, to Japan 4.05 dollars. Especially, the exports to Switzerland have the highest prices at 4.52 dollars per kilo. The US market, the biggest export market out of the 131 markets for Vietnam, has imported 39,900 tons of tra fish, worth 135 million dollars. In an effort to ensure sufficient supplies for export and profits for export companies, VASEP has set up the floor export prices at 3.3 dollars per kilo for white-meat fish, and 2.3 dollars for red meat fish. The floor prices will be applied for the last six months of 2011. more: english.vietnamne...