Govt ready to delay sea port project
Transport Minister Charupong Ruangsuwan said the ministry would consider delaying or cancelling the plan to construct the third phase of the Laem Chabang deep-sea port project in Pattaya and the Pakbara port project in Satul after the private sector propo
He added that currently the Laem Chabang port utilised only half of its capacity, while the phase-2 construction was yet to be finished. He is also concerned that the plan to construct phase 3 of the Laem Chabang port could cause environmental problems.
He added that he would study in detail the proposals of private firms to construct the Map Ta Phut port as the industrial zone already has privately run ports. For the planned Pakbara port, he added that he is concerned whether shippers of Chinese products will use the port.
Bangkok Ship Owners and Agents Association chairman Suwat Asawathongkul said that the new Map Ta Phut port is needed for shipping products from the Map Ta Phut industrial zone on the waterway instead of first transporting them to Laem Chabang port.
