Cambodia and Chinese Company Sign Canal Pact
Sun Chanthol (right), the chairman of the Inter-ministerial Commission to Study and Implement the Tonle Bassac Navigation and Logistic Project, and the representative of the China Bridge and Road Corporation (left) signed the agreement on Oct. 17 in Beijing, China. Photo: Prime Minister Hun Manet Facebook
- By Meng Seavmey
- October 18, 2023 3:50 PM
PHNOM PENH – Cambodia and the China Bridge and Road Corporation (CRBC) have signed a framework agreement on the Funan Techo canal project.
The 180km canal will connect Takeo canal of the Mekong River to the Ta Ek canal of Bassac River all the way to Ta Hing canal in Koh Thom district before reaching the sea in Kep province.
The canal will pass through Kandal, Takeo, Kampot and Kep provinces.
The agreement will allow the CRBC to conduct an in-depth study of all aspects of the project within eight months.
The project is a major step in transport for the country, said Sun Chanthol, deputy prime minister and the chairman of the Inter-ministerial Commission to Study and Implement the Tonle Bassac Navigation and Logistic Project.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transportation studied the project in two phases, a primary study for 14 months and a feasibility study for 12 months.
The project, approved by the government in May, is estimated to cost around $1.7 billion and take four years to complete. It is the first logistics project to connect the Mekong river to the seaway, aiming to expand the country’s transportation potential by sea.
Chanthol said Kep province will be the entrance to connect to the Mekong River and become a new commercial center. The project will reduce the duration and distances of transportation, create a region for trades and more logistic development ports, expand the agricultural development, irrigation, aquaculture, tourism and animal breeding regions for the 1.6 million people living along the canal.
The canal will be 5.4 meters deep (4.7 meters for docking depth and 0.7 meters for a safety gap) and have two lanes for entrance and exit. There will be three water gates in Kandal, Takeo and Kep provinces, as well as 11 bridges with 208-kilometer roads on both sides of the waterway.
The waterway will reduce the distances for transportation by more than 69km from the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port to the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port through Vietnam’s Cai Mep Port, and 135km from the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port to the Kampot International Port, former government spokesperson Phay Siphan said in May.
