Thailand looks to regional co-operation

“Our policy is not just building infrastructure but working with ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) countries. We have to work together,” Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisath said at the 14th ASEAN Ports and Shipping Conference.

The government is not just working with ASEAN ports such as Da Nang, Yangon and the yet-to-be-built Dawei, but also with sister ports such as Busan in Korea, he said.

The Port Authority outlined the infrastructure it is putting place at the country’s two principal ports of Laem Chabang and Bangkok city port.

Bangkok will get a one-stop service centre, coastal terminal development and a container freight station while the gateway facility of Laem Chabang will get a single rail transfer operator.

Of these, much is being made of the single rail transfer operator. Although no time line was given, this programme is expected to increase the proportion of transport by rail from 7% to 19%.

“We will increase our capacity from 400,000 teu this year to 2m next year,” Lt. Sutthinan Hatthawong, director general of the Port Authority of Thailand told the conference.

Coastal terminal development is expected to improve barge connections for inland waterways and in the case of Laem Chabang from other coastal ports.

Phase Three development will see Laem Chabang’s draft increase to 18.5 metres and its capacity to increase to 20m teu.