A lot of abandoned goods are unclaimed! Nearly 8,000 containers are stuck in the backlog of ports!

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Recently, according to the Vietnam Maritime Safety Administration, Vietnamese ports are currently facing a large backlog, with nearly 8,000 containers staying at the port for more than 90 consecutive days. The backlog has increased storage costs and reduced customs clearance capacity at Vietnam’s seaports.

The worst congestion is at Ho Chi Minh City's port, where 5,800 containers have not been picked up. Other affected ports include Hai Phong City with 1,500 containers, Da Nang City with 186 containers and Vung Tau with 120 containers.

Among these stranded containers, 3,100 have been stored unclaimed for more than three years, 1,240 have been stored for one to three years, and 3,200 have been stranded for less than a year. The backlog includes 1,000 containers of scrap, 450 refrigerated containers and more than 6,000 containers carrying various other goods.

The Vietnam Maritime Safety Administration has identified several reasons for the backlog, including shipping lines disbanding or going bankrupt, and cargo owners refusing to accept cargo or being unable to contact them.

The cost of managing these containers is high, with storage fees averaging per day for a 40-foot container. The Hai Phong port, in particular, is dealing with thousands of containers filled with old tires and scrap.

However, dealing with the backlog of containers brings challenges related to inspection, counting and processing. For example, some containers have completed the procedures and been auctioned, but the buyers refused to buy them because the valuation was too high. Other containers were included in the category of non-compliance and therefore remained in the port at the request of the investigating agency, but there is still no information on their resolution.

In order to clear the backlog of goods as soon as possible, the Vietnam Maritime Safety Administration recommends that the Ministry of Finance and the General Administration of Vietnam Customs provide guidance on the allocation of financial resources and personnel to relevant units. This will help speed up processing times, facilitate timely releases from port yards, and recycle empty containers.