Kampot​ Multi-Purpose Port Inaugurated 

The first phase of the new $1.5 billion Kampot multi-purpose port was officially inaugurated on June 6 after two years of construction. Photo: Prime Minister Hun Manet via telegram

PHNOM PENH – The first phase of the new $1.5 billion Kampot multi-purpose port was officially inaugurated on June 6 after two years of construction. 

Located in Kilo 12 village of Koh Touch commune and Boeung Touk commune in Kampot Bokor city spanning 600 hectares, it is the first international standard port in Cambodia and will be an important artery for the country's maritime transport.

Worth $140 million, the main infrastructure built in the first phase consists of a 450m long and 60m wide dock, a ​​55,000 square meter container area, a 8,800 square meter warehouse and 1,330 square meters of cargo control and administrative buildings.

Minister of Public Works and Transport Peng Ponea said the port depth will be increased in the second and third phases to 13 meters, which will allow 20,000-tonne vessels to enter and exit.

The government allocated 678 hectares, along with the construction of the navigation canal 2,600m long, 170m wide and 10m deep in which ships with a capacity of 10,000 tonnes or 666 TEU can dock.

“The Kampot Multi-Purpose Port is expected to be an important artery for Cambodia's maritime transport,” Peng Ponea said at the inauguration.

“It will contribute to the further growth of the Cambodian economy and become one of the additional deep-sea ports that will complement Sihanoukville Autonomous Port and Phnom Penh Autonomous Port.

This port offers sea shipping to Asia-Pacific countries without the need for changing ships, except for shipments to the United States and Europe, he said.

Prime Minister  Hun Manet said the shipping industry is a priority in which development budget and finance must be greatly mobilized. 

The construction of the $1.7 billion Funan Canal will also break ground on August 5, he revealed as Cambodia would not delay it any longer.

The government is also preparing to launch a development plan for coastal provinces, aiming to turn the coastal provinces into a potential economic hub. However, he said he would not permit a license to any casino business in Kampot and Kep.

“Cambodia has already made plans for the construction of ports to serve the national interest. We not only talk but take action,” Hun Manet said.

The Kampot port is being developed by Kampot Logistics and Port Co Ltd. The government gave the go-head in 2005 and the Ministry of Transport granted permission in 2012 for its construction on ​​207 hectares owned by the company.

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