Laem Chabang Port has opened Southeast Asia’s first x-ray scanning terminal for rail freight.
Customs Department Director-General Kulit Sombatsiri and State Railway of Thailand Gov. Wutthichart Kalayanamitr presided over the Dec. 30 opening ceremony at the Sriracha District facility developed in partnership with Chulalongkorn University.
Kulit said Laem Chabang has consistently worked to upgrade its facilities to meet international standards. The goal of the scanning terminal is to take technology to a stage where it provides port users with more convenience and better security, he said.
“The scanning system is modern, efficient and internationally recognized. The World Customs Organization recommended customs agencies worldwide use it,” he said.
The terminal is intended to speed customs clearance and boost efforts to screen for smuggled and undesired cargo, he said.
Currently, cargo entering and exiting Laem Chabang by truck outstrips rail freight by a 9-to-1 margin. However, the government has been aggressively laying plans to improve the nation’s rail system and drive more cargo off of the roads to improve Thailand’s logistics capabilities, Kulit said.
The new terminal will mean lower costs for exports, strengthen security and provide convenience, he added.
Laem Chabang has handled the largest number of cargo containers in Southeast Asia and is 24th in the world, Kulit said.
He predicted the number of containers handled at the port in 2016 would exceed 10 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and should rise by 11-13% annually.
In 2020, the Laem Chabang port should handle as many as 16 million TEUs, ranking it fifth in the world after Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Kulit said.
