Asia

Hanoi delays domestic ban on foreign-flagged ships

 

Hanoi: The Ministry of Transport has pushed back the edict to restrict the granting of new licenses for foreign-flagged vessels to operate on domestic transport routes from January to April 1.

As the nation struggles with overcapacity Vietnam has said all boxships on domestic routes must fly the Vietnamese flag. The move will see around 20 foreign flagged ships equating to 500,000 dwt barred. The local shipowners association has been beseeching Hanoi to help out in the downturn, with a number of Vietnamese vessels laid up and others sold, and this is the first move in what some believe could be a series of government-led shipping initiatives.

The government has pushed the ruling back a few months after realizing exports might be affected.

“We will restrict licensing from April 1. Six months later, if stable goods transport did not greatly affect production and export-import, we would further tighten the licensing procedures,” Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Cong told local media.  [21/01/13]

 

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