ÃÂàNẵng Port () is a major port system located in Central Vietnam at the mouth of the Han River on the South China Sea, in the city of ÃÂàNẵng. It is the third largest port system in Vietnam (after Saigon Port in Ho Chi Minh City and the port of Hải Phòng). ÃÂàNẵng Port lies at one end of the EastâÂÂWest Economic Corridor, an economic corridor connecting Vietnam with Laos, Thailand, and Burma. Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines) is the port's authority.
In 2008, ÃÂàNẵng Port handled 2.7 million tons of cargo, of which 1.2 million tons were exports, 525,900 tons were imports, and 985,600 tons were domestic cargo. Over 29,600 passengers passed through the port in 2008, a significant increase over previous years. Despite the fact that the port's infrastructure is not specifically designed to accommodate cruise ships, the number of large cruise ships docking at ÃÂàNẵng Port has increased in recent years. In the first two months of 2010 alone, 12 cruise ships docked in ÃÂàNẵng, carrying 6,477 passengers.
Kawasaki port is a friendship port since 1994.
ÃÂàNẵng has been a port city for many centuries, long before the first arrival of European traders in the 16th century. One of the first Europeans to visit the city was Portuguese explorer Antonio De Faria, who anchored at ÃÂàNẵng Port in 1535. De Faria was one of the first Westerners to write about the area, and through his influence Portuguese ships began to call regularly at Há»Âi An, which was then a far more important port than ÃÂàNẵng.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, French and Spanish traders and missionaries regularly made landfall at Há»Âi An, just south of ÃÂàNẵng. In 1787, Emperor Gia Long concluded a treaty with King Louis XVI, whereby he ceded ÃÂàNẵng Port to the French in return for promised military aid.
Following the edict of Emperor Minh Mạng in 1835 prohibiting European vessels from making landfall or pursuing trade except at ÃÂàNẵng, its port quickly superseded Há»Âi An as the largest commercial port in the central region.
In 1847, French vessels dispatched by Admiral Cécille bombarded ÃÂàNẵng, ostensibly on the grounds of persecution of Roman Catholic missionaries by Emperor Thiá»Âu Trá»Â. In August 1858, again ostensibly on grounds of alleged persecution of Catholic missionariesâÂÂthis time by Emperor Tá»± ÃÂứcâÂÂFrench troops led by Admiral Charles Rigault de Genouilly seized ÃÂàNẵng Port as part of the punitive Cochinchina Campaign. The French overpowered the Vietnamese stationed in ÃÂàNẵng, swiftly occupying the city and Tiên Sa Peninsula (now called Sán TràPeninsula). ÃÂàNẵng (which the French called Tourane) and its port would remain in French hands until 1954, upon the formal dissolution of French Indochina in the 1950s.
In 1965, U.S. Army General William Westmoreland and James Killen, chief of U.S. foreign aid, agreed to expand Da Nang Port in order to supply materiel directly to U.S. troops in Vietnam. Da Nang, however, had shallow water and lacked cargo handling equipment. As such, Westmoreland recommended the U.S. prioritise developing Cam Ranh Bay instead. New piers were under construction at Da Nang in 1966. After SeaLand began operating container ship services to Vietnam in October 1966, three of its vessels covered routes between the West Coast of the United States and Da Nang.
ÃÂàNẵng Port consists of two main terminals (Tiên Sa Seaport and Song Hàn Terminal) and an additional freight warehouse, Tho Quang Station. The total area of the port system is , of which is warehouse space and is yard space.
In recent years, the number of large cruise ships docking at ÃÂàNẵng Port has increased, despite the fact that its infrastructure is not specifically designed to accommodate cruise ships. Due to these limitations, cruise ships generally make short staysâÂÂabout 2 or 3 days at most. In the first two months of 2010, 12 cruise ships were reported to have docked at ÃÂàNẵng Port, carrying 6,477 tourists, mainly from Europe, the U.S., Canada and Australia.
Tiên Sa Seaport has a navigation depth of , and is able to receive medium range tankers of up to 45,000 DWT, as well as container ships of up to 2,000 TEUs and large cruise ships of up to 75,000 GRT. A breakwater provides protection from high waves and monsoons. The terminal has five berths in total: four berths, located along two finger piers of each, and one berth on a wharf along the shore, for a total of Throughput capacity at this terminal is over 4.5 million tons per year. Tiên Sa terminal contains of warehouse space and of yards.
The approach to Sông Hàn Terminal is long with a navigation depth of 6-7m. The terminal has five berths, located along the shore; berth No. 1 is long, berths No. 2 and 3 are long, berth No. 4 is long, and berth No. 5 is long, for a total of . Sông Hàn Terminal can accommodate vessels of up to 5,000 DWT. Throughput capacity is over 1 million tons per year. Sông Hàn Terminal contains of warehouse space and of yard space.
Tho Quang freight warehouse station contains of warehouse space and of yard space.