The project, executed for the account of the Management Board for Soai Rap Navigation Channel Dredging Investment Project of the Ministry of Transport in Vietnam, is intended to allow navigation for larger ships through the Soai Rap navigation channel, serving Ho Chi Minh City’s Hiep Phuoc Port, and the relocation of ports along the Saigon River towards the outlying areas.

On 26 June 2012, the joint venture Dredging International NV – Construction Consultation JSC for Maritime Building was awarded a contract to deepen and widen the Soai Rap Navigation Channel towards Hiep Phuoc Port. 

The Soai Rap Navigation Channel will be dredged over a length of 54km to a depth of 9.5 m in order to accommodate ships up to 30,000DWT fully loaded, and 50,000DWT partially loaded.

The works will be completed within a timeframe of 14 months from the approval of the final design and be executed by using a trailing suction hopper dredger in combination with Vietnamese dredging equipment in the upper sections of the channel.

This project will undoubtedly generate social and economic benefits throughout the entire Mekong Delta. It will create employment and boost numerous business opportunities in Ho Chi Minh City, as well as initiate port construction and exploitation in the Long’An and Tien Giang provinces.

The contract for the second phase of the Soai Rap Dredging Project amounts to 71 million Euro.

This shareholding represents more than 10% of the shares in Dockwise.

As previously announced, HAL Investments B.V. has irrevocably committed to tender its shares in Dockwise under the intended offer, representing approximately 32% of the outstanding ordinary shares.

Boskalis has invited Dockwise to meet at short notice with a view to further discuss the proposed offer in order to come to a transaction that is supported and recommended by the Board of Directors of Dockwise.

The appointment is seen to primarily address the need for stronger project management of various expansion projects as well as of greenfield construction. 

Lucci will be responsible for the entire lifecycle of the construction of new ports and construction-related expansions of existing ports from design through bidding, negotiating and awarding contracts, and construction project management.  Aside from leading asset management for infrastructure, he will also support ICTSI’s international Business Development Offices during due diligence processes. 

“I am delighted to join ICTSI’s senior management team.  I look forward to contributing to the continued success and growth of the organization through the development of strategically located ports throughout the world,” says Lucci.

Before joining the ICTSI Group, Lucci was Vice President and Latin America Infrastructure Commercial Director at CH2M HILL based in Brazil.  He was also a Director and Board Member of various legal entities in the Americas.  Before that, he was Halcrow’s Regional Director for the Maritime Business Group in Latin America.  He also led the maritime business group of a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan’s Energy Partners.  

Lucci, holder of a master’s degree in Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials from the University of California Berkeley, obtained his bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering and in Mathematics from Florida Institute of Technology and the University of Toulon et du Var, France, respectively.  He is a registered Structural Engineer in Florida.  He is fluent in French, Spanish, English and Brazilian Portuguese.

ICTSI is a leading port management company involved in the operations and development of 28 marine terminals and port projects in 19 countries worldwide.  The company was among the first international terminal operators to take its expertise overseas. 

Car carrier vessels called PMT Sunday (Nov. 18) and Monday (Nov. 19) and discharged more than 1,000 Nissan and Infiniti automobiles at the marine terminal. Port officials said a third vessel call at PMT by a car carrier is possible this week. The port is expected to take delivery of an additional 1,700 cars by the end of the month.

Normally, all automobiles coming to The Port of Virginia are handled at Newport News Marine Terminal, but that facility is at capacity with more than 5,500 cars on site. Newport News is at capacity because vehicles bound for the Port of New York/New Jersey were diverted to Virginia as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Shortly following the passage of that storm, more than 3,500 vehicles were diverted to Virginia.

“We are scheduled to get an additional 1,700 cars by the end of November, so we are going to need PMT for a month or so until the cars are cleared,” said Rodney W. Oliver, the VPA interim executive director. “These cars are for dealers in the Mid-Atlantic and we expect delivery of these vehicles to

begin during the first two weeks of December. They will move out by truck, so it is going to take some time. Having PMT at our disposal makes this situation much easier to handle.”

As the port handles this temporary influx of import cars, it is nearly finished clearing all of the New York/New Jersey-bound containers that were diverted to Virginia as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Following passage of that storm, the port handled more than 6,000 containers of diverted cargo. Almost all of that cargo was moved into the Northeast market via rail and barge.

“All of that cargo will be out of Virginia by the end of the work week, and much of it in place for Black Friday and the start of the holiday retail season,” Oliver said.

The VPA vacated PMT in early 2011 and moved all cargo and ocean carriers to APM Terminals in Portsmouth. Since then, the agency has developed a marketing plan that focuses on bringing multiple users to the terminal by leasing individual parcels. To date there are two committed tenants, though neither has begun operations.