A large international deep-sea port in Kampot province has officially opened its construction site. The $1.5 billion Kampot port is expected to be a major artery for Cambodia’s maritime transport.
The ground-breaking ceremony for the international deep-sea port was held yesterday under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Chea Sophara, Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction.
Sophara said that the logistics and multi-purpose port in Kampot province is also considered a catalyst in contributing to the development of the national economy.
“The port has a water depth of up to 15 metres, which can accommodate large cargo ships with a capacity of up to 100,000 tonnes. The first phase has an investment of about $200 million for three years, with 15 years of total investment. We are really happy with the new port although Cambodia has two major state ports: Sihanoukville Autonomous Port and Phnom Penh Autonomous Port.
“This port will be equipped with modern facilities that can facilitate the flow of goods in our region and Cambodia. Meanwhile, this port gives an opportunity for job creation for youth and reduces the cost of transportation for the businessman. Moreover, there is an agricultural processing factory that encourages farmers,” he pointed out
At the ceremony, Sun Chanthol, Senior Minister of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, said the location of this port is in a favourable area for connecting water, land and rail transportation systems to Phnom Penh and the provinces through National Roads No 3, 41, 4 and 48, and the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway. It also connects with the southern railway to the north of the country.
He went on to add that “the investment project to develop the Kampot Logistics and Multipurpose Centre will be another large and deep-sea port in Cambodia and an international modern port in the Asean region.”
“This project will complement the existing ports such as Sihanoukville Autonomous Port and Phnom Penh Autonomous Port and help promote the successful implementation of the master plan to develop Sihanoukville into a multi-purpose special economic zone in line with the policy of industrial development of Cambodia 2015-2025.
“In addition, this project will also contribute to the successful implementation of the Master Plan on the Connection of Multipurpose Transport and Logistics Systems and to help meet the coastal development goals of the National Committee for Coastal Management and Development of Cambodia,” he pointed out.
According to a report from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, the Kampot port project has a three-phase implementation plan with a total investment of about $1.5 billion. In the first phase of the plan, there will be an investment of about $200 million.
The project will include container grounds, special economic zones, free trade zones, logistics centres, warehouses of all kinds including customs warehouses, manufacturing and distribution plants, refineries and fuel centres, residential and tourist areas, and passenger terminals.
In addition, the multi-purpose port will have the capacity to handle about 300,000 TEUs in and out by 2025 and about 600,000 TEUs by 2030.