Largest Ship Ever at a Northern Vietnam Port: HHIT Welcomes the Triple-E MATZ MAERSK

MATZ MAERSK Vessel Specifications

The MATZ MAERSK is a vessel of immense scale, built in 2014 as part of Maersk's Triple-E class . Key specifications include:

Note: Vessel tracking sources often list the MATZ MAERSK's summer deadweight as 194,000–196,000 tonnes . The higher 213,970–214,000 DWT figure reported by Vietnamese port sources and the Port of Hamburg is believed to reflect the vessel's actual loaded condition at the time of its call .

Breaking the Previous Record

This was not HHIT's first encounter with a mega-vessel. Just two months earlier, on April 23, 2026, the terminal had set a record by receiving a 197,087 DWT mega vessel . The MATZ MAERSK, at over 214,000 DWT, surpasses that previous record by approximately 17,000 DWT, or about 8.6% . This rapid succession of records demonstrates the terminal's immediate impact and operational capability.

Ambitious Throughput Targets

HHIT hit the ground running. In its first 11 months of commercial operation, the terminal handled over 808,000 TEUs . This strong start sets the stage for aggressive growth targets:

HHIT Chairman Tran Van Ky has stated that these figures represent not just terminal growth but a strategic reorientation of northern Vietnam's economy towards higher-value, globally integrated manufacturing .

Terminal Infrastructure: Designed for Giants

Built as a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) project, HHIT is a partnership between Hateco Group (majority stakeholder) and APM Terminals (which acquired a 49% stake in 2026) . Its infrastructure is purpose-built for the largest vessels afloat:

• Total area: 73 hectares (58.5 ha of container yard)
• Quay length: 900 m (two berths, each ~450 m)
• Berth draft: −16.8 m to −18.4 m
• Channel draft: −14 m
• Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes: 5–6 of the largest and most modern in Vietnam, supplied by ZPMC, with a 65 m waterside outreach and a 65-tonne hoist capacity under spreader
• Yard equipment: Electric rubber-tired gantry cranes (e-RTGs) for 100% electric, green port operations
• Design capacity: Up to 200,000 DWT / 18,000 TEU vessels

Trade Advantage for Northern Vietnam

The ability to handle ultra-large vessels like the MATZ MAERSK provides several critical advantages for northern Vietnam, a major hub for electronics, textiles, and footwear manufacturing:

• Direct International Calls: Goods can now be shipped directly to major markets (Europe, North America) without needing transshipment via hubs like Singapore or Hong Kong, significantly cutting transit time and costs .
• Logistics Cost Reduction: Direct deep-water calls dramatically reduce per-container logistics costs compared to using smaller feeder vessels .
• Competitive Positioning: A world-class gateway enhances northern Vietnam's attractiveness for foreign direct investment (FDI), providing the infrastructure needed to support large-scale export industries .
• Capacity Relief: The new deep-water berths alleviate congestion at smaller ports, allowing the region to handle growing export volumes without bottlenecks .

Expansion Plans for the Lach Huyen Port Cluster

The arrival of the MATZ MAERSK is part of a much larger story of rapid expansion at the Lach Huyen port cluster:

• Berths 1–4: Existing terminals are operational, handling vessels up to 14,000–16,000 TEU .
• Berths 5–6 (HHIT): Operational since April 2025 .
• Berths 7–8: Investment was approved in 2023. These two berths, with a 900 m quay length for vessels up to ~18,000 TEU, are in preparatory stages .
• Berths 9–12: An investment policy was approved in July 2025 (Decision No. 1497/QD-TTg). The total investment is VND 24.85 trillion ($944 million), with implementation planned in phases from 2026 onward .
• Overall Vision: By 2027, Lach Huyen is expected to have 8 berths with a combined quay length of ~3,300 m and a container throughput capacity of 6 million TEUs per year . The master plan envisions up to 12 berths by 2030 .