Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Xuan Sang has asked relevant agencies to focus on completing construction planning for the Can Gio international transit terminal in Ho Chi Minh City and submit it to the Prime Minister for approval.

Total investment for the project is estimated at $6 billion.

The terminal will have 7.2 km of wharves and cover some 570 ha. It will be capable of handling container ships of up to 250,000DWT, equivalent to 24,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units).

With a capacity of 16.9 million tons, the terminal is expected to create a breakthrough in the city’s marine-based economic development.

Authorities said construction within the 2021-2030 period is necessary as existing ports fail to meet increasing demand in cargo transport.

With annual growth of 3.8 per cent, cargo volumes are forecast to reach 230 million tons by 2030, compared to capacity of only 170 million tons at existing facilities.

The city has proposed that construction begin in 2024 and the first phase be put into use in 2027.