C. Vreeken
Attracting vessels to Can Tho Port & Improving curriculum at CTU. Report of
traineeship in Viet Nam.
Internship,
Report 2003.TL.6812, Transport Engineering and Logistics.
Part A. Attracting vessels to Can Tho Port
The objective of this first part of the assignment is to find out why
vessels choose in many cases the route via Sai Gon and to try to find ways
attracting vessels to Can Tho Port. After analysing general information
about the region of the Mekong Delta, including finished and ongoing
projects, it became clear the disadvantages for the vessels on their way
to Can Tho are numerous. Three companies were interviewed and they confirm
the results of the preceding survey. The main existing reasons for the
relative unattractiveness of Can Tho Port can be listed as follows:
- limited draft and the long distance of the access channel
- relative high port tariffs and other costs
- one-sided export and the low import of goods
- disadvantage of historical trade pattern
Besides that there are several other restrictions for the global transportation
system of Viet Nam, but also for vessels coming to the port of Can Tho.
These problems are mainly due to the central planned and bureaucratic
government.
Solutions at port level can be found in three directions: the
access route, the port itself and the hinterland. But these possible
solutions will not be effective if the government fails to control the
ongoing and future projects in the Mekong Delta. Regarding the staffs of
Can Tho Port, they have to start with the port itself, because the route
to the port and the consumers in the Mekong Delta are harder to influence
than the management of the port.
There should be paid more attention to marketing aspects. As mentioned,
the facilities and services of Can Tho Port cannot be brought enough under
attention of the shipping companies. Try to keep in touch with the
existing customers as close as possible. Concluding from the interviews,
the companies don't know the present situation and opportunities of Can
Tho port.
To predict the possible progression of the situation of the
region, an economical analysis should be carried out to calculate the
future developments in consumption and production in the Mekong Delta,
related to the import and export of goods. A supplementary survey is
recommended to analyse the logistical capacities of the current equipment
and the berthing times of the vessels.
Part B. Improving the curriculum at CTU
Although the education system at CTU faces many efforts to develop its
quality, there still some lacks in the curricula. In the specialization of
Transportation Engineering the given lectures are rather theoretical and
relation to practical work is low.
The objective of this second part of the assignment is to improve the
curriculum by giving advice on implementing problem based learning projects
and buying software. For example the application of the courses in group
projects could be very useful. The deficiency of experience in this field
could be fulfilled by providing suitable workshops to instruct the teachers.
Regarding the software, there is a wide range of modelling and simulation
packages available in different (price) categories. Depending on the needs
of both the quick developments in industry and the demand for research on
the university a choice had to be made.
Further consults should concentrate on the exact setting up and
implementation of the PBL-projects. Combining the available experience and
skills of other universities with the present knowledge at Transportation
Engineering, instructive projects could be designed. It is also important
to involve the students in the concerning developments for evaluation.
To choose the most suitable software for the Transportation Engineering
curriculum, it is recommended to collect more detailed information from
the different companies. After comparing the software packages, advice
could be asked from experts resulting in a well-balanced curriculum.
Reports on Transport Engineering and Logistics (in Dutch)
Modified: 2004.01.03;
logistics@3mE.tudelft.nl
, TU Delft
/ 3mE
/ TT
/ LT.