Govt tenders for chiang saen 2 port expected in october

Anurak made the remark last Friday during his visit to the area with members of the Port Authority of Thailand's management.

He added that construction was expected to take three years.

The Bt1.5-billion Chiang Saen 2 Port is to be built on 402 rai of land, compared to just 9 rai occupied by the existing Chiang Saen Port. The new port will be equipped with full facilities to boost its capacity.

Anurak said the port authority, which operates Chiang Saen 1 Port, would also manage the new port, due to its expertise and the fact that it has the authority to negotiate with the government of Laos on related issues.

He added that he would consult with the Cabinet over which party would be in charge of the management of the new port.

The ministry has a policy to reposition Chiang Saen 1 Port to promote tourism, given that it is adjacent to historical places of interest. The Transport Ministry and the Tourism and Sports Ministry will discuss cooperation policy details at a later date.

Prasong Tanmaneewattana, Marine Department director-general, said the construction plans for the new port had been drawn up, including planning details, the environmental impact assessment, and the purchase of the land required.

He expressed confidence that the bidding process for port construction could begin in October. Construction is expected to be completed within 960 days.

The department has already asked the Rural Roads Department to allocate the funding for the construction of a road to the new port.

Prathan Insriyong, management of Siam South China Logistics, said record oil prices would help boost the transportation of goods via the Mekong River and Chiang Sean Port, due to 40-per-cent lower transportation costs compared to land transportation.

 The cost of delivering goods from China via the Mekong River is US$270 (Bt8,800) per container, while the cost of transporting goods overland from Kunming to Thailand was $470. Chiang Saen 1 Port has also seen growth of goods transportation of 12 per cent to 15 per cent per year.