Hanoi (VNA) - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 26 attended the inauguration ceremony of the port-specialised tank cluster and a central utility plant of the Southern Petrochemical Complex project in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

The newly-inaugurated items are essential and inseparable parts of the Southern Petrochemical Complex, a major project of the oil and gas sector which has a total investment of over 5 billion USD.

Addressing the event, Prime Minister  Pham Minh Chinh underlined that despite difficulties during the construction of the cluster and the plant, especially those from COVID-19, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, investors, contractors and relevant agencies exerted great efforts for their completion.

He also attributed the result to the effective cooperation between Vietnam and Thailand, the sound relationship between contractors and the host locality, as well as between central and local agencies.

The Southern Petrochemical Complex has a significant role, together with the Nghi Son Refinery in the north and Binh Son Refinery in the central region, forming a network of refineries across the country, ensuring the supply of petroleum for the domestic market, he noted.

Highlighting the large workload of the project, the PM asked the investors, the local administration and relevant agencies to continue to work hard to finish other items of the project as scheduled with high quality.

He also underscored the motto of turning words into actions, with harmonised interest, shared risks and win-win spirit during the implementation of the project.

Roongrote Rangsiyopash, Chairman and CEO of Siam Cement Group (SCG), one of the leading industrial firms of Thailand and the parent company of Long Son Petrochemicals (LSP) - the investor of the project, said that the complex is a major project of SCG Chemicals in Vietnam, showing a long-term commitment of the firm to the sustainable development of Vietnam.

He said that the project is built with the latest technologies in the region, aiming to ensure operating standards, which demonstrates the group's strong commitment to safety and environmental protection.

Earlier, PM Chinh took a helicopter tour to look into the planning of major projects in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, including Go Gang airport, Go Gang-Long Son urban area and Cai Mep port.

After listening to provincial leaders' report, the PM stressed that the locality has great yet untapped potential for development. However, he pointed to environmental protection as a challenge facing the province as it is developing industry and services at the same time.

He reminded the province to promptly complete its master planning with spaces for the development of services, industry and urban areas. The service sector should focus on tourism and logistics, while the industry sector should concentrate on oil and gas, manufacturing-processing and high-tech industries.

The Government leader underlined that the planning should take into account environmental factors to avoid conflicts in the development process, affecting the environment. He also underscored the need to preserve the forest./.