Ranong Port being improved to serve Bimstec nations
The Port Authority of Thailand has accelerated improvement of Ranong port to support 12,000DWT vessels at both docks in a Bt41.8 million project, director-general Lieutenant Kamolsak Promprayoon said.
The improvement is part of the Southern Economic Corridor (SEC) Project to connect water, road and rail transportation between the Andaman coast and the Gulf of Thailand from Ranong to Chumphon ports and Laem Chabang Port in the Eastern Economic Corridor.
The government aims to make Ranong Port a hub for the transportation of goods on the Andaman coast, linking Thailand to other Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan.
Ranong Port infrastructure will be improved to make the port safer. The first dock will have a length of 130 metres and include the installation of 35 rubber dampers to support 12,000DWT ships, while the size of the second dock will be increased to 150 metres and strengthened to hold 65-tonne cranes and 22-wheel trucks as well as a bridge connecting the two docks.
In addition, the port authority is in the process of hiring design consultants and will study the effects of creating additional container space.
