The Ministry of Transport has presented a map of domestic routes for its national shipping line promoting freight transport activity from the east to south, due to be completed by 2022.
The routes are part of the ministry’s plan to link the Southern Economic Corridor (SEC) with the land bridge megaproject connecting Chumphon and Ranong. The transit port will in turn serve to connect the Pacific and Indian oceans.
According to Transport Minister Minister Saksayam Chidchob, a feasibility study has indicated that both domestic and international shipping lines are required to connect transport in the Gulf of Thailand.
The Harbor Department is working with Seahorse Ferries Co Ltd to run a new gulf route from Chuk Samet port in Chonburi’s Sattahip to Songkhla’s Southern port. Last month saw a trial run, with the service to officially launch by next year.
The minister said the line should reduce annual reliance on trucks for road freight to some 90,000.
Additionally, the eastern line will cover shipping to countries like South Korea, Japan and China, while the western line – due to finish in Q2 2022 – will service the nations of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand that make up the Bay of Bengal Initiative Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). (NNT)
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