Criteria and methods for classifying seaports in Vietnam

Criteria and methods for classifying seaports in Vietnam (Image from the Internet)

1. What is seaport?

According to Clause 1, Article 73 of the Vietnam Maritime Code 2015, Seaport refers to an area enclosing port land and water areas of which infrastructure facilities are constructed and equipment necessary for incoming and outgoing ships is installed in order to load or unload goods, embark or disembark passengers as well as to render other services. A seaport may include one or two port terminals. A port terminal includes one or a lot of wharves.

2. Seaport classification criteria in Vietnam

Criteria to evaluate and classify seaports in Vietnam, including: criteria on the scope of influence of seaports and criteria on the size of seaports.

Specifically, each criterion is defined as follows:

* Criteria regarding the influence area of seaports

Criteria for the influence area of seaports are measured on the basis of the master plan for development of seaports that is approved by the competent state authority, including the followings:

- Seaports that serve the purposes of the nationwide or inter-regional socio-economic development and function as international transit or international gateway ports;

- Seaports that serve the purposes of the nationwide or inter-regional socio-economic development;

- Seaports that serve the purposes of regional socio-economic development;

- Seaports that serve the purposes of local socio-economic development.

(Clause 2, Article 3 of Decree 76/2021/ND-CP)

* Criteria regarding the size of seaports

Criteria for the size of seaports are measured on the basis of the throughput of cargos and the tonnage of ship received at seaports, including the followings:

- Cargo throughput;

- Tonnage of ships received at seaports.

(Clause 3, Article 3 of Decree 76/2021/ND-CP)

3. Methods for assessment and classification of seaports in Vietnam

Seaports are assessed and classified according to the scoring method. The 100-point scale is used. Each criterion has the assessment scale which is specified in Appendix hereto.

Specifically, in Clause 2, Article 4 of Decree 76/2021/ND-CP, seaports are assessed and classified into 04 types

- Special seaports: total score is greater than 90 points;

- Class-I seaports: total score is from greater than 70 points to 90 points;

- Class-II seaports: total score is from 50 points to 70 points;

- Class-III seaports: total score is from 50 points to 70 points;

Bases for assessment and classification of seaports

- Data on the influence area of seaports which are based on the master plan for development of seaports that is approved by the competent state authority;

- Data on the size of seaports that are based on the statistics of the average throughput of cargos in the last 3 years of the Vietnam Maritime Administration and the data on the tonnages of ships received at seaports according to the decisions on opening announcement of berths and wharves of the Vietnam Maritime Administration in the latest year.

Classification of seaports for the purposes of seaport planning or seaport plan revision must be based on data on goods, expected tonnage of ship in each planning period and other criteria specified in Decree 76/2021/ND-CP.

4. Fundamental functions of a seaport in Vietnam

According to Article 76 of the Vietnam Maritime Code 2015, fundamental functions of a seaport include:

- Provide vessel traffic services for ships which enter and leave a seaport.

- Provide transports, equipment and workforce necessary for ships to anchor, load or discharge goods and embark or disembark passengers.

- Provide freight transportation, loading, discharge, warehousing and storage services within the territory of a seaport.

- Play its role as the center to help different traffic networks outside of the seaport to get connected together.

- Be designed provide shelter, repair and maintenance or other indispensable services for ships in case of emergencies.

- Provide other services for ships, humans and cargoes.

Thanh Rin

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