Cambodia, Japan to work for Sihanoukville Port development

Cambodia, Japan to work for Sihanoukville Port development

PM Hun Sen and the Prime Minister of Japan Kishida Fumio have agreed to make Sihanoukville a major port for Cambodia and the Mekong region. Sihanoukville is a deep-sea port, which will be developed into a port that will allow more large ships to dock, allowing more goods to pass through Cambodia

Cambodia and Japan have extended cooperation in economic and social infrastructure, human resource development, and grassroots support.

Prime Minister Hun Sen highly appreciated Japan’s assistance on infrastructure in Cambodia, such as seaports, bridges, roads, electricity and water supply.

Mr Hun Sen and the Prime Minister of Japan Kishida Fumio have agreed to work together to make Sihanoukville a major port for Cambodia and the Mekong region. According to the joint statement between Cambodia and Japan, both countries agreed to actively explore new opportunities for the sustainable growth of the Kingdom, such as infrastructure construction, after the bilateral meeting between the two Prime Ministers on Sunday.

The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) confirmed in early 2022 that it was developing and modernising new container ports through a study with JICA.

Sun Chanthol, Minister of Public Works and Transport, said that Sihanoukville is Cambodia’s deep-sea port, which will be developed into a port that will allow more large ships to dock, allowing more goods to pass through Cambodia.

Lou Kim Chhun, Chairman and CEO of Sihanoukville Autonomous Port told Khmer Times that following the approval of two governments, the Rules for the Selection of Group Advisers will be commenced.

At present, Sihanoukville Port can handle ships with a depth of more than 9 m, about 20 percent of the ships in the area.

“For the port of Sihanoukville to serve the Mekong region and the world, the port needs to be expanded to a depth of about 17 and a half metres,” he added

According to a press release from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Sihanoukville Autonomous Port in the first phase with a length of 350 metres and a water depth of 14.5 metres will begin construction in 2022 with a loan of more than $200 million from the Government of Japan.When the deep-sea port is completed in 2025, it will allow ships with a capacity of more than 4,000 containers. At that time, about 93 percent of Asian ships can be docked in Cambodia, which would lower shipping costs by an estimated $200 per container.

Currently, the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port can only accommodate only 18 percent of ships in the Asia-Pacific region.

In the first nine months of 2021, Sihanoukville Autonomous Port received more than 254 billion riels or about $62 million in revenues.