Can Tho seeks $22 mln to dredge fairway on Mekong tributary

Can Tho’s Department of Transport is calling for investment to dredge the Dinh An fairway on the Hau River, a branch of the Mekong.

The dredging project, expected to cost VND500 billion ($22 million), will expand a 34-kilometer (21-mile) section of the fairway to 200 meters wide and 6.5 meters deep, Le Tien Dung, department director, said Thursday.

Once completed, the fairway will be able to receive 10,000-ton vessels and bigger ships, increasing the capacities of 13 ports along the Hau River, of which most are in Can Tho.

Investors will be offered rent exemption for15 years and a 50-percent discount in rent for the period after for land used to deposit dredged mud.

They will also enjoy a corporate income tax of 10 percent for 15 years instead of 20 percent as currently.

For now, the Transport Department and related agencies are working with the Vietnam Maritime Administration on the feasibility report for the project.

It is expected that Can Tho would organize a conference to call for investment next month.

The city will then organize an auction to pick investors so the dredging process could start within next year.

Dinh An fairway stretches 234 kilometers long. The section that Can Tho wants to dredge belongs to Tra Vinh Province.

However, due to serious sedimentation along that section, ships of 10,000-20,000 tons have not been able to pass, affecting the operation of ports in Can Tho.

Le Tien Cong, deputy CEO of Can Tho Port JSC, which operates three ports in Can Tho, said due to the blocked section, those ports have so far been operating at only half of their capacity, which is five million tons of cargo per year.

According to the company, it is faster for cargo ships to travel to Singapore and Malaysia from Can Tho but due to the blocked section, big cargo ships could not reach the city.

As a result, goods must be transported from Can Tho to Ho Chi Minh City and nearby provinces, causing higher cost and wasting more time