Thailand’s largest port unveils plan to bust massive truck jams
Laem Chabang in Chonburi, the largest port in Thailand, unveiled a plan to end years of congestion from transport trucks on Tuesday.
Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) chief Kriengkrai Chaisiriwongsuk said it was studying the construction of a 90-rai commercial area inside the port for truck-parking, hotels and other facilities. He expects the study to be completed this year with private firms invited to bid for construction contracts in 2023.
Kriengkrai said the construction project aims to reduce congestion and facilitate transport of goods to and from the seaport by road. The port is serviced by more than 300,000 trucks per month, he added.
"PAT wants to allocate an area to allow truck drivers to rest while they wait for shipments," he said, adding that some drivers had to wait up to 10 hours for customs inspections.
He said the PAT project was inspired by commercial areas at large seaports in the Netherlands, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The construction budget would be reviewed once private companies expressed interest in bidding, he added.
Phase 3 development of Laem Chabang Port is part of a 655-billion-baht project to upgrade infrastructure in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). The EEC upgrade also includes a high-speed railway between three airports, development of U-tapao airport, and Phase 3 of Map Ta Phut Industrial Port.
