Saigon Shipmarin Builds First Cargo Vessels for Japan

The Saigon Shipbuilding and Maritime Industry Company (Saigon Shipmarin) has started building two 8,000-tonne cargo vessels for Japan. These are the first cargo vessels that Saigon Shipmarin, a member of the Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (Vinashin), has built for foreign customers. They are expected to be completed by the end of 2007. The company has built 15,000-ton barges and two 6,800-ton cargo vessels which are expected to be launched soon. Saigon Shipmarin has won a bidding package to repair a 1,200-tonne floating crane and a ship for VietsovPetro. In addition, the company is repairing a 32,000-ton vessel for Singapore. To raise its capacity, the company has invested more than $40m in building a new shipyard, which is capable of building and repairing 70,000 tonne ships, in Soai Rap district of the Mekong delta province of Tien Giang. (Source: VNA)