Hateco terminal welcomes mega-vessel cosco shipping aquarius - historic milestone for Hai Phong Port

With a length of 400 meters and a deadweight tonnage of 197,087 DWT, the COSCO SHIPPING AQUARIUS ranks among the world's largest container ships today and is the largest vessel to ever call at a Hai Phong seaport. The vessel is designed to operate on major global shipping routes, specifically the Asia-Europe corridor, connecting major transshipment hubs such as Shanghai, Ningbo, Singapore, Rotterdam, and Hamburg, and playing a critical role in the global logistics chain. The event carries not only technical significance but is also considered a notable milestone in the over 150-years development journey of Hai Phong’s port system.

According to on-site observations, the berthing and cargo-handling process was conducted with seamless precision and safety, demonstrating HHIT’s increasingly well-developed operational capability as well as the readiness of Lach Huyen’s maritime infrastructure. The successful reception of this mega-vessel serves as clear evidence of the terminal's ability to meet international standards, ushering in opportunities to accommodate more large-scale maritime routes in the future.

Industry experts noted that the ability of northern seaports to accommodate large-size vessels will help shorten transport chains and reduce dependence on international transshipment hubs, thereby lowering logistics costs and enhancing the competitiveness of import-export goods. At the same time, this also contributes to strengthening Vietnam’s position in a global supply chain that is undergoing significant shifts.

Industry experts assert that the ability of Northern seaports to accommodate mega-vessels will streamline the transportation chain, reduce reliance on international transshipment hubs, thereby saving logistics costs and bolstering the competitive edge for import-export goods. Simultaneously, this contributes to elevating Vietnam's position within shifting global supply chains that is undergoing significant shifts.

The event clearly reflects Hateco Group's strategic vision and systematic investment. Building upon this foundation, HHIT continues to serve as a catalyst for attracting major shipping lines and logistics enterprises, fostering the development of the logistics ecosystem, thereby contributing to increasing the investment appeal of Hai Phong in particular and the Northern region in general. This is also the result of the close attention and direction from the Government and Hai Phong City in developing a modern, synchronized seaport-logistics infrastructure system.

Notably, backed by an increasingly robust infrastructure and operational capacity, the decision of leading shipping lines like COSCO Shipping Lines and OOCL to select HHIT as a destination for their mega-vessels underscores their unwavering trust in the terminal’s handling capacity as well as the development potential of the Hai Phong seaport system in this new phase.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Nguyen Van Tien - Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hateco Hai Phong International Container Terminal Company emphasized: “We are committed to continuously enhancing our operational and cargo-handling capacities, relentlessly improving service quality, and strengthening cooperation with shipping lines to deliver sustainable values to our clients and the community, actively contributing to the overall development of the logistics sector and the Vietnamese economy.”

In its long-term strategy, HHIT is oriented towards developing a green port and smart port model framework, heavily focusing on technological application and operational optimization. This is considered a crucial foundation for the terminal to accommodate future generations of larger container vessels while improving operational efficiency and mitigating environmental impacts.

Building on this momentum, on April 25, 2026, Hateco Group is scheduled to hold the groundbreaking ceremony for the Lien Chieu International Container Port project in Da Nang on April 25, 2026. The project spans nearly 173 hectares with a total investment of approximately VND 50 trillion and a design capacity of 5.7 million TEUs per year, positioned to become a critical international container transshipment nexus for the Central region, contributing to the completion of the national logistics network and strengthening global trade connectivity./.