Will Kampot International Tourism Port Be Operational By Q4 2024?
The Kampot International Tourism Port is set to commence operations in Q4 2024 according to a recent government announcement, following a multi-year delay in appointing the right operator after construction was completed in 2022, but plans to appoint an operator and have the port functioning by the year’s end seem optimistic.
The Minister of Public Works and Transport, Peng Ponea, announced in May 2024, that the Ministry has completed the selection process for a company to operate the port and will sign the Memorandum of Understanding in Q2 2024.
The port operations will be tested and launched in the backend of the year and it is hoped that once operational, it will allow for improved tourism infrastructure within the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and stimulate economic growth.
The 4.5-hectare port is located in Tuek Chou district, 5 kilometres from Kampot city, and was built with a loan from the Asian Development Bank with figures in the media ranging from USD $9-10 million.
Kampot International Tourism Port Delays
Even though the construction of the port was completed in 2022, since then various statements have said that investment was needed to launch the port's operations. When the port was first announced, it was also speculated that it would serve as a gateway for cruise ships connecting Thailand and Vietnam to Kampot but the depth of the waterway has also been said to be an issue.
In 2022, the government said it would deepen the Kampot International Tourism Port’s waterway to enable safer access for larger vessels but this point was not addressed in the latest announcements.
If the port in Kampot is intended for international travel, a customs and immigration checkpoint would also need to be established.
Further Investment Required for Kampot Tourism Port
The Cambodian Minister said the appointed company that will operate the port will require both capital and experience and he emphasises that the operating company will require at least USD $5-10 million to operate the port on the southern Cambodian coast under a PPP agreement with the Cambodian government.
Peng Ponea, the Minister of Public Works and Transport stated, “The port is not yet operating as no company has been chosen to run it. Based on the agreement between the government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), there must be a public bidding following the public-private framework.”
Developed as part of a “Tourism Infrastructure Development Project” under the ADB, enhancements are needed to adhere to international technical standards, ensuring the port’s compatibility with global maritime operations as well as the expansion of the waterways, studying technical navigation, installing navigation signs, and investing in port safety infrastructure - all of which were highlighted two years ago.
According to one report by Khmer Times, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) is considering a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement with local development company AZ Builder to finalise the Kampot International Tourist Port. AZ Builder is a subsidiary of AZ Group conglomerate owned by Oknha Lim Bunsour and has allegedly offered to invest the required funds to bring the port to operating status.
The tourism port has a wharf with a length of 123 metres and a width of 11 metres and features the restaurants, roads, technical buildings and other facilities.
The Minister said that according to a study, the port can be a potential tourist attraction for Cambodia due to its proximity to the ports in Sihanoukville, Koh Kong, Koh Rong, as well as the port of Koh Tral (Phú Quốc) and other ports in Vietnam and Thailand.
The Kampot Logistics and Multi-Purpose Port
Kampot province is also constructing another larger international deep-sea port which commenced construction in 2022 at a cost of USD $1.5 billion. The port is expected to be a major artery for Cambodia's maritime transport.
The port’s first phase of operations was initially due to be completed in 2025, and the 600-hectare seafront is located in Bokor City, Prek Tnoat district of Kampot province and boasts a depth of 15 metres and has the capacity to accommodate large container ships.
The Kampot Logistics and Multi-Purpose Port was invested in by the Kampot-based Kampot Logistics and Port Company Limited and built by the Chinese state-owned China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd (CHEC). Once the three phases of development are finished, the port will include residential areas, a business centre, container fields, special economic zones (SEZ), free trade zones, logistics centres, warehouses, customs, manufacturing plants, oil refineries, and fuel centres.
When complete, the Kampot multi-purpose port will have the capacity to handle about 300,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) by 2025 and approximately 600,000 TEUs by 2030.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, and the Ministry of Tourism will co-hosted an investor seminar in 2023 intended to attract Public-Private Partnerships. The aim was to highlight opportunities in developing coastal tourism in Kampot and Kep provinces and connecting sea tourism in Cambodia with Phu Quoc as well as the chain of other islands within the region.
Cambodia is home to 119 ports and docks, including international ports in Preah Sihanouk and Phnom Penh and the Techo Funan Canal projects which are slated to start will also add more and connect a number of the Kingdom’s river and sea ports, the largest of which is the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port (PAS).