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Report by Akira Kurita
— Tan Chang-Cai Mep International Terminal Co., Ltd. (TCIT)

From construction to opening

Loading operation using a gantry crane. During high tide, a bridge is used for loading, keeping the crane at the same level as the vessel's deck and the pier.

Tan Chang-Cai Mep International Terminal Co., Ltd. (TCIT) is a joint venture established in September 2009 with investments from MOL, Vietnam’s largest terminal operator Saigon Newport Corporation (SNP), Hanjin Shipping of South Korea, and Wanhai Line of Taiwan. TCIT operates Vietnam’s largest deep-water container terminal in the Cai Mep region, about 80km southeast of Ho Chi Minh City.

At the time I arrived at my new post as General Director in May 2010, it was in the midst of terminal construction by SNP. Workers were installing steel reinforcing bars on the bridge-structure pier and leveling the land where the container yard would be located. Most of the construction was completed right on schedule at the end of November; gantry cranes were delivered and installation started in December. We purchased the terminal operation system and other loading/unloading equipment and systems, and hired and trained the staff in advance of the opening in the first quarter of 2011.

We had three cranes ready to operate the yard at about 50% capacity in early January, although there were a few delays that kept us from full-scale operations until the end of the month. In any case, we started operation ahead of our initial schedule. The first ship called at the terminal on January 15, 2011, meeting the scheduled start of the MOL-operated European route and JEX service at Cai Mep, and it was time for our grand opening ceremony.

Remarkably improving loading/unloading operation

A shot of the MOL Prestige from the bridge as it heads up the Cai Mep River toward TCIT. On the left in front is its escort tug, the Kamiya, which was owned by Nihon Tug-Boat and transferred to Tan Can Towage Service, a joint venture established by MOL, SNP, and a local tug company.

Right after the opening, we had trouble increasing loading/unloading efficiency for a host of reasons — the newly trained gantry crane operators weren’t completely up to speed, there were some mechanical problems with the new cranes, and we experienced the occasional power outage. This put vessels behind schedule a few times. But thanks to strong teamwork and the leadership of Katsuya Murayama, who was invited from Shosen Koun to serve as TCIT Operations Director, we saw swift improvement. Since October 2011, the terminal has shown monthly average operating efficiency of more than 100 containers per hour, making us No.1 in the Cai Mep region. What’s more, we set a record in February 2012 with an average of 190 containers per hour for one vessel. Currently, five weekly services call here — three on the North America route (two West Coast, one East Coast), one on the European route, and one on Intra-Asia trade—accounting for almost 50% of the cargo handled by all terminals in the Cai Mep region.

MOL Liner takes a proactive stance in using its Cai Mep connections more than other TCIT partner shipping companies. Transit time for cargo to and from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, can be shortened, and schedule accuracy improved with connections to mother ships at Cai Mep. MOL Liner’s eagerness to meet the challenge of anticipating customer needs is playing a key role in building business at TCIT.