Thousands of unclaimed containers, many packed with now rotting produce, are stacking up at Vietnam’s ports, with the Vietnam Maritime Administration (VMA) now putting the count 5,450 and raising concerns that port facilities were becoming waste dumps.
Abandoned containers at Chua Ve Port
Hai Phong Port has 5,000 unclaimed containers taking up storage space and posing health risks, followed by Saigon Port with 177 containers, Danang Port with 99 and Quang Ninh with 52.
According to head of the Vietnam Maritime Administration, Nguyen Nhat, most of the abandoned parcels are rubber, used rubber tyres, secondhand electronic goods.
The containers arrived in Vietnam under temporary import/export permits and were supposed to only transit the ports, but were instead abandoned after contents were found to violate re-export regulations.
Nhat said a check of 1,426 containers at Haiphong Port found unauthorized contents. Attempts to trace and force owners to remove the containers had been unsuccessful.
Two containers of tobacco have been at Chua Ve, one of the biggest container facilities in the Haiphong Port system, for nearly ten years.
A representative from Chua Ve containers often leaked in rainy weather and many containing perishable items now stank. Authorities destroyed four containers as potential health hazards.
The VMA said most of the containers were carrying rubber, used tyres, or second hand electronic goods.
Cao Trung Ngoan, deputy general director of Haiphong Port JS Co., said the Ministry of Transport and the People’s Committee of Haiphong have been asked to deal with the containers.
Đăng ký: VietNam News