Hanoi (VNA) – The number of ships passing through Vietnam’s seaports was 50,ꦆ553 in the first six months of this year, up 4% year-on-year, according to the Vietnam Maritime Administration (VMA).

Of which, foreign ships numbered 24,017, a year-on-year increase of 9% while domestic ones hit 22,968, down 1% over the same period last year. The increase in the number of ships passing through seaports is equivalent to the rise in volume of goods transported via ports, the VMA said. Goods throughput of seaports during January-June totaled 426 million tonnes, an increase of 18% compared to the same period in 2023. Meanwhile, the total number of passengers transported via seaports reached 4.3 million, up 7% year-on-year, with 564,400 foreign visitors. Vietnam's seaport cargo throughput is set to reach 1.2-1.4 billion tonnes by 2030, with container cargo expected to range from 46.3 to 54.34 million TEUs, according to a detailed plan for the development of seaport groups, wharfs, jetties, buoy berths, and water areas in 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050. Passenger traffic through seaports is anticipated to reach between 17-19 million by 2030, including both international and domestic passengers. The investment required for the seaport system by 2030 is estimated at nearly 352 trillion VND (13.9 billion USD), including 72.8 trillion VND for public maritime infrastructure and 278.7 trillion VND for port investment./.