Myanmar is striving for the development of Yangon Port, stepping up administration on freight handling at jetties of the port to ensure swift commodity flow and full operation of the handling.

There are some five port terminals at the Yangon Port, namely Bo Aung Kyaw, Botataung, Pansodan, Nanthida and Sule.

Of them, the state's handling business of the Bo Aung Kyaw port terminal, has been privatized to the private-run Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd. recently.

Checking of export and import items, systematic storage of goods in warehouse, checking of containers through X-ray machine, loading and unloading of containers at Bo Aung Kyaw Jetty as well as Sule Jetty were reportedly examined by Minister of Transport U Thein Swe on Tuesday, who is also Chairman of the Committee for Ensuring Swift and Full Operation of Freight Handling.

The four other port terminals, operated by the government's Transport Ministry, are yet to be handed over to private entrepreneurs under the privatization plan.

Aimed at enabling full capacity of handling of import and export goods to keep up with the growth of foreign trade yearly, these port terminals are being privatized under a build, operate, transfer contract system.

According to the government's Privatization Commission, since 2000, two port terminals in Yangon -- Asia World's in Ahlone township and Myanmar International Terminal Thilawa (MITT) in Kyauktan township have been initially put into private run.

According to the port authorities, the Yangon Port handled a total of about 10 million tons of export and import merchandises annually over the past three years, up from previous years, signifying a boost in its foreign trade.

There were 1,200 international cargo ships berthing at the Yangon port for loading and unloading.

Meanwhile, the port authorities is constructing a large container parking center at the Dagon Port Industrial Zone in Yangon to prevent container trucks from parking on public-used roads.

The 1,000-container-truck parking center project has been being implemented with the cooperation of the private-run Dagon Port International Service Co. Ltd.

The one-stop service is to ensure that exporting goods could be transported to Yangon port directly without need to bring the containers from the port area to industrial zone for loading and also to reduce transportation cost and traffic accidents for its less frequency of running in the city.

Moreover, the Myanmar authorities are also implementing another road extension project along the Yangon river bank where the Yangon Port lies to pave way for port development.

The Strand Road extension project designated some special lanes for containers and log-laden trucks to run for secured transportation.

The 9.3-kilometer-long 4-lane road between Botataung in the east and Kyimyindaing in the west of the city will be jointly extended by the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC), Myanmar engineers association and the giant private company -- Asia World.

Yangon port handles most of Myanmar's import and export goods with its foreign trade.

Besides the five port terminals under privatization, there has also been some three major port terminals at the Yangon port in operation, namely Thilawa, Myanmar Industrial and Asia World.

Furthermore, Myanmar has also privatized its giant state-owned overseas shipping line -- the Myanmar Five Star Line (MFSL), the business of which has been officially transferred to an un-named private enterprise in April.

There are 16 ocean liners and nine coastal liners with the MSFL.

The MSFL, established in February 1959, stood as the sole state- owned foreign cargo transportation enterprise directly operated by the Transport Ministry.

It has opened branch offices in 11 countries and regions of China, India, Japan, South Korea and Singapore with which Myanmar has maritime trade links, rendering services for Myanmar exporters and importers.

The MFSL also used over 700 other state-run vessels for inland water transport services.

MFSL has also been striving to extend its cargo transportation services to some other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) after Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand in a bid to boost the country's foreign trade.

In addition, Myanmar is also undertaking renovation work on two dockyards in Yangon -- Ahlone and Dalla to attain international standard under its market-oriented economic policy.

The two dockyards are being upgraded to repair not only domestic coastal vessel but also ocean liner.

At present, the Ahlone Dockyard, one of the two, has been reportedly able to construct 3,000-ton ocean liner, applying international advanced expertise.

Meanwhile, out of over 60,000 registered seafarers in Myanmar, over 12,000 work in overseas shipping lines.

Placing emphasis on development of maritime sector, Myanmar has been training out qualified maritime engineers and seafarers to work in the overseas shipping lines, hundreds of whom are working on South Korean coastal shipping lines.

To be competitive in the maritime labor market, the government formed the Overseas Seafarers' Association and established the first ever Maritime University in the country in late 2002 to nurture qualified seafarers.