Cai Lan is the first deep-water port in northern Vietnam capable of accommodating freighters weighing up to 50,000 DWT. 
 
The opening of the new route followed a period of test-runs, with the MSC’s 1,090 TEU vessel, the Wellington , being the first to arrive in November. 
 
MSC, a Swiss shipping company, has successfully sent six container ships to the port so far, following a timetable of one docking per week. 
 
As well as the launch of the international container route, the Vietnam Maritime Administration, the Quang Ninh Port Company and the Waterway Project Construction Corporation inaugurated a new waterway approaching Cai Lan port. 
 
The new waterway, 130 m in width and 10 m deep, is capable of welcoming ships weighing between 40,000 and 50,000 DWT. 
 
Construction of the route began in 2007 at a cost of almost 300 billion VND to upgrade the inbound mouth of the port, which was previously capable of accommodating vessels of 25,000 DWT at most, meeting just 60 percent of the port’s design capacity. 
 
The Cai Lan port project was approved for construction by the Prime Minister in July, 1996, and has been funded using Japanese ODA loans. 
 
The first phase was completed in April 2004, when three docks became operational, with depths of 13 m and a modern cargo loading and handling system. 
 
The second phase is scheduled to begin in 2009 and be operational by 2011, and is financed by the Vietnam National Shipping Lines Corp. and a joint venture between the Quang Ninh Port Company and the US-based SSA Group.