On September 7, the FREE WILL vessel from Panama carrying more than 16,000 tons of bauxite ores of Thanh Phat Company, a trader of agricultural, forestry and mineral products, left Chu Lai port. This was the first shipment of bauxite ores transported directly from Sekong province, Laos, Chu Lai port, Vietnam, then to China, turning minerals into one of the products that receive full-package logistics services (trucking, customs clearance, storage, shipping, etc.) at the port.

The port had used 200 trucks, tractors, excavators, and modern loading machines to complete the shipment, resulting in quick and smooth ore transport and handling. It also came up with an efficient cargo handling plan, in which blowdown containers were utilized instead of grab bucket cranes to shorten ship release time, reducing ore loss and ensuring environmental protection, meeting strict customer requirements.

Currently, mineral trading potentials in Laos are huge as there are diverse types of minerals in the country. Therefore, Chu Lai port is expanding its market for this product in Savannakhet, Sekong, Attapeu provinces in Laos, with an estimated 2 million tons of ore exports through the port each year.

To improve service quality and attract goods from countries in the East-West economic corridor, Chu Lai port is expediting investment procedures to soon put into use the new 50,000-ton terminal with modern equipment (STS and RTG cranes), and enlarge warehouses to serve bigger storage needs. At the same time, the port also increases operations to complete its full-service seaport services, providing optimal and competitive logistics solutions.