Vietnam Maritime Administration News

AD Ports Group and the Vietnam Maritime Administration (VINAMARINE), have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to bolster commercial opportunities across various sectors, including ports, logistics, digital solutions, economic cities, free zones, maritime and shipping.Under the terms of the agreement, both entities will focus on key areas of cooperation, including the development and management of dry ports and inland container depots in addition to advanced logistics operations and digital solutions to enhance global maritime and shipping sectors.

On July 11-12, 2018, Maritime Administrator Mark Buzby met with ‎the Vietnam Maritime Administration\\'s (VINAMARINE) Administrator Dr. Nguyen Xuan Sang and Deputy Administrator Dr. Bui Thien Thu in Hanoi, Vietnam. This meeting, under the implementation of the US-Vietnam Bilateral Agreement, included discussions on the topics of maritime policy, vessels safety and security, port infrastructure development, maritime workforce and mariner training. On July 12th, Administrator Buzby visited the ports of Hai Phong and Lach Huyen. The US Coast Guard and US Department of State also participated.

On June 29, Vice Minister of Transport in Vietnam, Nguyen Van Cong accompanied by delegates from Vietnam Maritime Administration (VMA) and Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines) visited Hyundai Merchant Marine(HMM).   The delegates arrived Korea on 26th at the invitation of Busan Port Authority (BPA).    HMM CEO, Yoo Chang-Keun and executives have attended the meeting, discussing various cooperative methods for port business in Vietnam.   The Vietnamese delegation was in Korea to attend Korea Maritime Week.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Vietnamese Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan agreed to continue bilateral efforts to ensure maritime security, underlining the importance of respecting the rule of law. Kishida and Doan also discussed matters related to the South China Sea, the ministry said. The sea is the focus of lingering tensions over territorial rows between China and Southeast Asian countries, notably Vietnam and the Philippines. Kishida was quoted as saying Japan wants to increase cooperation with Vietnam over wide-ranging issues such as maritime security. Japan will help train maritime lecturers for Vietnam under an agreement signed in Hanoi between the Vietnam Maritime Administration and the Seamen’s Employment Center of Japan (SECOJ).

Vietnam's Ministry of Transport is seeking private sector investment for construction of seaports, Vietnam Briefing reported last week. The Vietnam Maritime Administration will announce a list of 42 maritime infrastructure projects, including 18 seaports, looking for private investment, said Do Duc Tien, Deputy Chief of the Vietnam Maritime Administration. The privatization of Vietnam's ports is part of an initiative launched in April 2014 to privatize an estimated 432 state-owned enterprises between 2014 and 2015.

Vietnamese authorities have concluded that a collision between a Singaporean container ship and a local fishing boat that killed eight people in September, 2013, was caused by the negligence of the ship’s second mate, reports Thanhnien News. After announcing its findings, the Vietnam Maritime Administration handed them over to police in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau, where the accident took place, for further investigation. On September 16, 2013, Sima Sapphire collided with the boat with 16 fishermen on board, which sank some 54 nautical miles off the coast of Vung Tau. The crew managed to rescue 8 of them but the others were lost.

A number of shipping companies in Vietnam are facing huge losses, some on the brink of bankruptcy, due to lack of clear development strategies, reports Dan Tri International (DTI). Citing a Vietnam Maritime Administration report on shipping development plans from 2013-2020, and with a view to 2030, DTI says that Vietnam has rapidly grown its number of ships without proper management methods or plans to deal with sudden market changes. The report also pointed out several other shortcomings, such as old ships, or vessel types that are not in demand.

In the first half of 2012, Vietnamese ships were inspected by PSC 434 times at foreign ports, with 30 ships being detained for 457 errors. The number of Vietnamese ships which are seized at foreign ports in the first half of 2012 reduced compared to the same period of 2011. However, the number of ships that were inspected overseas did not decrease, according to the Vietnam Maritime Administration. “The Vietnamese fleet is still the subject of ‘priority’ for inspection, especially at seaports of China and Indonesia,” said Mr. Do Duc Tien, vice chief of the Vietnam Maritime Administration. Tien said most of the 30 ships that were detained had operated overseas for a long time and they had not returned to Vietnam for check.