The cabinet has approved a public-private partnership deal worth 3.22 billion baht to manage the Map Ta Phut Industrial Port in Rayong province.
According to Rachada Dhnadirek, a deputy government spokeswoman, the joint venture deal to run the Map Ta Phut Industrial Port will be handled by the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) and Thai Connectivity Terminal (TCT). The concession with the current operator is scheduled to expire on Sept 16 this year.
Under the new joint investment deal, the IEAT will allow TCT to operate and make use of Map Ta Phut Industrial Port's existing assets worth 963 million baht for 30 years, while TCT has pledged to invest 2.25 billion baht to upgrade the port and operate additional services related to containers, such as the installation of cranes to lift containers, container repairs, cleaning services, and the container yard development.
In a related development, the cabinet on Monday granted the debt-ridden Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) permission to seek a new 7.51-billion-baht loan in fiscal 2023 to boost liquidity and pay its fuel, repair, and maintenance costs, with the Finance Ministry acting as a loan guarantor.
According to deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul, 2.25 billion baht would be used to pay for fuel costs, 1.42 billion baht would be spent on repair and maintenance, and the remaining 3.84 billion baht would be spent on boosting liquidity.
The BMTA, which operates bus services in Bangkok, has 132 billion baht of outstanding debts, mainly attributable to its accumulated operating losses and its inability to raise fares in keeping with the changing situation now that the BMTA's fares are set by the government, revenue from which is lower than the actual running costs.
Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha also told the Transport Ministry at the cabinet meeting to follow up on the operation of the BMTA's electric air-conditioned buses.
Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said about 1,000 electric buses would be made available by the BMTA this year, with 2,500 to be rolled out in 2023.
According to Mr Thanakorn, the Finance Ministry has advised the Transport Ministry and responsible agencies to step up its proposed financial rehabilitation programme, including plans to roll out electric buses to reduce fuel costs and reduce the number of employees, as soon as possible to tackle the BMTA's massive losses and reduce the government's fiscal burden.
The Budget Bureau has also suggested that the Transport Ministry consult the government and ask for more funds to subsidise the BMTA's operations, which are considered to be public services.