Ho Chi Minh City has greenlit a consortium comprising Vietnam Maritime Corporation, Saigon Port Joint Stock Company, and Terminal Investment Limited Holding S.A. (TIL), a subsidiary of global shipping giant MSC, to spearhead the development of the Can Gio International Transshipment Port project.
TIL is set to contribute 49% of the project’s total capital. The ambitious port project will cover nearly 571 hectares, featuring a main berth approximately 7.5 kilometers long. By 2030, the port is projected to handle 4.8 million TEUs annually, with capacity scaling up to 16.9 million TEUs by 2047.
The port will initially include two to four terminals, with a total quay length of 1,016 to 2,016 meters by 2030. These facilities will accommodate ultra-large container vessels of up to 250,000 deadweight tonnage (equivalent to 24,000 TEUs) or even larger ships. The port’s throughput capacity is estimated at 22.8 to 57 million metric tons of cargo, or 2.4 to 4.8 million TEUs annually.
By 2050, the port is expected to expand to 13 terminals, addressing growing international container transshipment demands and supporting long-term cargo growth. The total investment for the project is estimated at VND128.872 trillion (approximately $4.9 billion), with the consortium responsible for securing and managing the required capital.
The city’s administration has mandated strict adherence to the investment policy approved by the prime minister on January 16. Investors must balance international transshipment cargo with Vietnam’s import-export goods while ensuring the project does not disrupt operations at nearby ports. Additional conditions include a prohibition on transferring the project within the first 10 years of land and water surface allocation. Furthermore, investors are required to disburse at least VND50 trillion ($1.9 billion) within the first decade and complete construction within 20 years, in line with national regulations.
A transshipment port plays a pivotal role in global shipping, serving as a hub where containers are transferred from smaller feeder vessels to larger ships for long-haul international routes.
Terminal Investment Limited Holding S.A., a subsidiary of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), is a key player in this project. MSC, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, is the world’s largest container shipping line, operating a fleet with an annual capacity exceeding 23 million TEUs—roughly 18% of global shipping capacity. Its network connects over 500 ports worldwide.
In Vietnam, MSC already operates routes linking major container ports in Hai Phong, Da Nang, and Cai Mep-Thi Vai. The company transports over one million TEUs of Vietnam’s import-export cargo annually, connecting the country to key markets such as the United States, Europe, China, Japan, Australia, and Southeast Asia. MSC aims to further strengthen its intra-Asia network and establish a new regional transshipment hub through this project.