HCMC – Investors of the international transshipment port project in HCMC’s outlying district of Can Gio plan to complete the project’s pre-feasibility study and seek approval for it in the first quarter of this year.

The first phase of the project is set to begin construction in 2024 and be completed in 2027, according to Huynh Van Cuong, chairman of Saigon Port Joint Stock Company.

Terminal Investment Limited, mainly owned by global shipping line MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company SA, is working with Vietnam Maritime Corporation and the Saigon Port on the port development project.

The port construction includes seven stages with a wharf of 7.2 kilometers, enabling it to accommodate vessels with a capacity of 24,000 TEUs. The project’s investment totals US$6 billion.

Cuong said the development of the port would assist HCMC in establishing itself as a key logistics center in Asia.

The project will be implemented in accordance with the ecological port concept, considering its location in the buffer zone of the UNESCO-listed Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve, according to Pham Anh Tuan, general director of Portcoast, a local port and coastal consulting firm.

Construction efforts, including the port’s infrastructure and its transportation network, should have a minimal impact on the surrounding natural environment, added Tuan.