Foreign shipowners are asking the Indian government to rethink a recent ban on vessels older than 25 years operating in Indian waters during the country's monsoon season.

Nippon Express said its subsidiary Nippon Express (Vietnam) Co. Ltd. will open a bonded warehouse within the Minh Quang Industrial Zone on the outskirts of Hanoi.

The size and age of the fleet and the capacity of the nation's ports are causing problems for the nation's merchant navy.

Vinashin Lines' new international standard liner Hoa Sen will start operating from northern Quang Ninh Province to southern Ho Chi Minh City in mid-December.

A container vessel of the CT Navigation group docked at Tien Sa port yesterday, opening a direct maritime route linking central Viet Nam's Da Nang city to Taiwan territory's Kaohsiung.

The Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP) will dock at Sai Gon Port on the first of December for a four-day stay in the city as part of its 2007 voyage.

Costa Allegra cruise ship, owned by Italy's Costa Crociere, will berth at the Saigon Port Monday to begin a three-day cruise for passengers in Vietnam.

The People's Committee of Da Nang has approved the design for the Rong Bridge by the U.S. firm Louis Berger Co.

HCMC welcomed the SuperStar Gemini cruise ship as it docked in Saigon Port with 500 international tourists, mainly Australian nationals, reports the Saigon Tourist Travel Service (SGT).

Two South Korean naval vessels docked at Saigon Port yesterday for a two-day Ho Chi Minh City visit.