[PHNOM PENH POST]
An extension of Phnom Penh Autonomous Port under construction in nearby
Kandal province is nearly finished and expected to come online in July,
according to a PPAP official.
Construction on the planned
container lot, located in Kandal province’s Kien Svay district, began in
early 2010. PPAP general director Hi Bavy said yesterday the project is
now 85 per cent complete and will begin operations on July 1.
“The
construction of the port is to expand our capacity to stock goods,
which will make the circulation of products easy and fast,” he said,
adding that it would help to reduce congestion at the original port,
which is located near the Cambodian-Japanese Friendship Bridge.
The
new port cost US$28.2 million and was funded by a loan from the Chinese
government, Hi Bavy said. The location will hold 120
twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs), he said.
Cambodia now has
two international ports, Phnom Penh Autonomous Port and Sihanoukville
Autonomous Port, and another in Kampot is presently under construction.
Sin
Chanthy, general director for Cambodian Freight Forwarder Association
and for Linehaul Express Co, Ltd, said the industry welcomed the
arrival of the new port.
“When the port starts, it will be very
good because nowadays Phnom Penh port is small. Sometimes I ship my
goods at night because it’s is overcrowded because it is the town,” he
said.
Sin Chanthy noted that only smaller vessels can dock at
PPAP, which forces shipment transfers to larger vessels at Cat Lai port
in Vietnam before going on to other international destinations, further
slowing the trade process.
However, he said the Kandal port also
would allow greater shipment of goods at cheaper rates, as Phnom Penh
was the destination for most goods exported to Cambodia. Therefore, the
increased capacity meant those goods would go directly to the capital
rather than stopping first in Sihanoukville and then travelling overland
to Phnom Penh.
About 81,600 TEUs passed through Phnom Penh
Autonomous Port last year, up 31 per cent from 2010, according to
official PPAP figures.
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