How Hateco and APM Terminals are combining Vietnamese insight, global expertise and advanced technology to create a safer, smarter and more sustainable container terminal.
Central Vietnam sits at the crossroads of major manufacturing, trade and logistics corridors, yet much of the region's cargo still relies on supply chains that are longer, less predictable and more costly than necessary. Da Nang International Gateway Terminal (DIGT) at Lien Chieu is being developed to help change that.
Designed as a digital, low-carbon and socially responsible terminal, DIGT aims to provide Central Vietnam with stronger direct access to global shipping networks while creating new logistics opportunities for landlocked markets along the East-West Economic Corridor. The project is a joint venture between Hateco Group and APM Terminals, combining deep local market knowledge and stakeholder relationships with global terminal-operating expertise, advanced technology and access to an international network of customers and partners. It also builds on a partnership already under way in Vietnam at Hateco Hai Phong International Container Terminal.
At Lien Chieu, that collaboration enters a new chapter. The aim is to create one of Vietnam's most advanced, efficient and sustainable container terminals, a new international gateway for Central Vietnam and a major transhipment hub connecting the region to the world. By linking gateway cargo, transhipment flows and the East-West Economic Corridor, DIGT can help reshape how Central Vietnam and neighbouring landlocked markets participate in regional and global trade.
Lien Chieu is a greenfield site, which is a real advantage. Rather than adapting an existing facility to new technology, DIGT can build advanced operating concepts into the design from the start.
Remote operations sit at the centre of that approach. The terminal will use remote-controlled ship-to-shore (STS) cranes and electric rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes. Remote control is planned for six STS cranes and 24 eRTGs, and the rest of the yard fleet will be electric.
This is a significant step for terminal operations in Vietnam. Operators will work from dedicated stations rather than crane cabins, but the change goes beyond where someone sits. IT, operational technology, equipment and terminal processes all have to work together as one system.
DIGT will have automated gates backed by a Truck Appointment System that coordinates truck arrivals with yard readiness, vessel schedules and gate capacity. The aim is to keep gate and yard in step, reduce congestion, give trucking companies and cargo owners more predictability, offering outstanding customer experience.
The wider IT and operational technology architecture will connect gate automation with equipment, terminal planning and operational systems. Technologies such as crane OCR (Optical Character Recognition), reefer monitoring and remote crane operations will all sit within one digital operating environment, with information moving as smoothly as the containers.
The point isn't automation for its own sake. It is safer working conditions, greater consistency and a terminal that keeps improving how it serves customers.
DIGT is being designed with electric yard equipment from the start, rather than treating electrification as something to retrofit years after operations begin. Electric equipment, remote operations, automation and digital planning together make it possible to build efficiency and decarbonisation of operations into the same operating model.
This fits APM Terminals' wider direction. Across its portfolio, the company is using electrification and digitalisation together to improve efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of its terminals, supporting its pathway towards net zero by 2040. At DIGT, the broader low-carbon proposition can extend beyond equipment electrification to include energy management systems, operational optimisation and on-site solar generation, as well as shore power readiness for future vessel needs. More efficient vessel planning, automated gates and truck appointments can reduce vessel and truck waiting times and associated emissions, while resource efficiency, waste segregation and recycling initiatives can further improve the terminal's environmental performance.
Hateco brings deep knowledge of Vietnam, its business environment, customers and government stakeholders, along with experience investing in and developing Vietnamese ports. APM Terminals brings the experience of a global terminal network, from safety and operational excellence to automation, digitalisation and decarbonisation.
The idea is not to import an international terminal model and copy it in Vietnam, but to combine APM Terminals' international practices with Hateco's understanding of what works locally. The partnership has already proved itself. At Hai Phong, the two companies worked together on North Vietnam's largest and most advanced deep-water terminal, pairing Hateco's local expertise with international operating practice. The Hateco Hai Phong International Container Terminal was ranked 13th in the 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) jointly published by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence. Lien Chieu is the next step.
Lien Chieu is meant to become an international gateway for Central Vietnam and a maritime anchor for the East-West Economic Corridor, linking the region's industries and neighbouring landlocked markets to global shipping networks. Its transhipment facilities can attract additional international services and create connections to a wider range of regional and global ports. In turn, stronger liner connectivity can make Da Nang more attractive for gateway cargo from Central Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, eastern Thailand and Myanmar.
Transhipment and gateway growth can reinforce each other. Transhipment volumes can help build service frequency and network reach, while growing gateway and hinterland cargo can strengthen the commercial base for more direct and competitive shipping services. That takes more than an efficient quay. It takes an ecosystem: road and potentially rail links, free trade zones, industrial clusters, warehouses, inland logistics, efficient customs processes and better cross-border connections.
Ultimately, Da Nang's commercial case rests on cargo, not just terminal capacity. Sustainable volumes, hinterland aggregation, infrastructure and supportive government policy all have to work together. By connecting international transhipment flows with the economic potential of Central Vietnam and the East-West Economic Corridor, DIGT can support both stronger global shipping connectivity and the long-term development of its hinterland.
A remote, highly digital terminal needs different skills and can create higher-quality employment opportunities. Operators will control equipment from screens, technical teams must understand how equipment, IT and operational technology connect, and planners will work from more integrated information. Remote operations and modern working environments can also strengthen workplace safety, ergonomics and employee wellbeing, while creating opportunities to improve diversity and gender inclusion across operational and technical roles.
The DIGT programme treats recruitment, training and local capability development as critical to operational readiness, with structured training, time at operating terminals and knowledge transferred from across APM Terminals' network. This opens opportunities for Vietnamese talent to develop expertise in automation, digital systems, engineering and terminal management. The social-impact ambition can extend beyond the terminal through partnerships with local educational institutions and community initiatives, including support for schools and libraries serving disadvantaged and ethnic minority communities, helping the benefits of the investment reach more people across the region.
The vision for Lien Chieu is bigger than building another container terminal. It is about creating a digital, low-carbon and socially responsible gateway for the next stage of Da Nang's and Central Vietnam's economic development. By bringing together international shipping connectivity, transhipment capability and the cargo potential of the East-West Economic Corridor, DIGT can help transform the region's logistics landscape and create new opportunities for businesses, workers and communities.
Hateco and APM Terminals share that ambition: to make Lien Chieu a showcase for the future of Vietnamese container terminals and a gateway linking Da Nang, Central Vietnam and neighbouring landlocked markets to global trade. Through the combination of Vietnamese insight, global expertise, advanced technology and responsible development, DIGT can become a catalyst for more connected, competitive and sustainable growth across the wider region.
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