Vietnam Maritime Administration will submit a plan to the transport ministry relating to the diversion of cargoes from the congested Ho Chi Minh City port to the underutilised Cai Mep-Thi Vai deepwater port complex.

The plan proposes to limit the amount of goods that can pass through ports in Ho Chi Minh City, hence diverting some ships to the larger, nearby port complex.

The plan will then be handed to the National Assembly for approval, according to Bui Thien Thu, deputy chief of Vietnam Maritime Administration, cited by Saigon Times Online.

He said the transport ministry has been trying to encourage shipping lines to move to Cai Mep-Thi Vai, Vietnam’s largest port complex opened in May 2009, but severely underutilised due mainly to the lack of connecting hinterland facilities.

The official said that the VND40trn ($1.8bn) port complex consisting of seven container terminals has been operating at just 15% of its designed capacity since it opened in 2009. Each terminal can handle about 1m teu each year, giving the port complex an annual handling capacity of 7m teu.

At Ho Chi Minh City port, congestion is particularly glaring at Cat Lai in District 2, according to Thu, and the plan is expected to alleviate the problem.

The lack of deepwater draft at Ho Chi Minh City port is also a push factor for operators to divert to Cai Mep-Thi Vai, which can accommodate containerships of up to 10,000 teu.