Large passage to be developed ships sailing to Delta

      Duyen Hai District in the southern province of Tra Vinh is busy with the task of creating a passage for large ships to the Mekong Delta.
The project, undertaken by the Ministry of Transport with HCM City-based Portcoast Consultant Corp. as its consultant, is needed since the existing passage Dinh An channel is too narrow and complicated.
Because of lacking access to the sea, 80 percent of imports and exports in the Mekong Delta are routed through HCM City ports, a time-consuming and costly process that undermines competitiveness.
Portcoast did the first survey for a new channel in April at three river mouths: Dong Hai, Lang Chim, and Long Toan.
Engineers examined the flows, waves, mud and sand, and salinity in the areas for 73 straight hours and collected samples for examination at laboratories, said Truong Ngoc Tuong, Portcoast’s chief engineer. The second survey would be done in August, he said.
There would be many more long-term studies of the winds, water levels, and waves, he added.
Meanwhile, preparations have been stepped up for site clearance and compensation payment to families displaced by the project in several areas in the district, especially in Dan Thanh Commune, where more than 130 families have been moved out.
A Duyen Hai District official said after the project was launched, many investors from HCM City and from Taiwan and Malaysia have arrived looking for opportunities.
Duyen Hai and Tra Cu Districts plan to ask the Government to set up a 35,000-hectare open economic zone beside the new channel.