Accordingly, Tan Cang - Cat Lai will temporarily stop receiving cold cargo transferred to containers until August 16 and will stop receiving cargo occupying large yard space (such as oversized, overweight, oversized, overloaded cargo, etc.) from August 5 until further notice.
Tan Cang Saigon Corporation recommends that shipping lines proactively persuade customers to adjust the port of receipt of goods to TCIT (Tan Cang - Cai Mep, Ba Ria - Vung Tau), TCTT (Tan Cang - Cai Mep Thi Vai, Ba Ria - Vung Tau) and Tan Cang Hiep Phuoc (HCMC). This unit will support shipping lines and customers to work with customs to quickly carry out procedures to correct cargo declarations.
Tan Cang Saigon Corporation said that the amount of imported cargo containers in storage at Cat Lai port is increasing rapidly because many factories and businesses have reduced production or stopped operations due to epidemic prevention requirements, negatively affecting the reception and release of cargo ships.
Therefore, this enterprise recommends that shipping lines and shipping agents temporarily stop receiving imported goods at Cat Lai port of enterprises that have stopped production, and encourage ships entering the port to only receive exported goods.
Shipping lines are also required to submit an estimated volume of imported containers and empty containers imported on ships calling at ports under the Tan Cang Saigon Corporation system in the next 2 weeks so that the port can proactively arrange the yard. Depending on the level of inventory and the specific situation, the leadership of Cat Lai port can apply the quota of imported goods on each service route unloaded at the yard. In case the amount of containers in the yard reaches the maximum operating capacity, Cat Lai port will have to stop receiving cargo ships.
The risk of Cat Lai port having to stop receiving ships, waiting for the release of goods was mentioned by Tan Cang Saigon Corporation in the report on production activities after nearly 3 weeks of social distancing in Ho Chi Minh City a few days ago. The volume of containers imported and exported by ships, the number of deliveries at the yard, the number of vehicles entering and leaving the port for container deliveries has continuously decreased compared to the same period before the social distancing period, leading to an increase in the amount of goods in stock at Cat Lai port.
Currently, the amount of goods and containers in stock at Cat Lai yard is always at full capacity, especially the capacity for imported goods reaching 100% capacity. In addition to the difficulty of the sudden increase in the amount of goods in stock at the port, Cat Lai port is also facing a serious labor shortage. Currently, the number of personnel working at off-site positions at the port (port authority staff, parking lot drivers, forklift drivers, etc.) has decreased by 50% compared to before, with only 250 people left.