Deputy Transport Minister Pailin Chuchottaworn has urged the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) to expedite its expansion plans for Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri, to keep up with Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) initiatives next year.
The port's third phase of development, currently awaiting an environmental health impact assessment (EHIA), was discussed as the newly-appointed deputy met PAT officials on Monday.
The plan has met with a mixed reaction from environmentalists and locals in the Laem Chabang area, since it mainly involves extending the port's surface area by piling up sand over several hundred rai of coastline.
Mr Pailin said the EHIA and subsequent tenders for the port's development and construction will be concluded by the end of next year.
About 7.68 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo containers pass through Laem Chabang port each year, he said.
"Cargo arrivals have been on the rise in these past three to four months," Mr Pailin said. "Since it is expected that we will be importing and exporting more goods next year, projects that support these initiatives must be completed according to schedule."
He added an estimated 1.5 million TEUs of cargo pass though Bangkok port, in Klong Toey, per year. Large trucks complete around 10,000 trips to and from the capital's port per day, leading to daily traffic congestion, he said.
"Bangkok is not fit for industry," Mr Pailin said. "In the future, factories must be moved out of the capital to decrease the influx of large trucks on the city's roads."
He added that a development project for a berth at Bangkok Port, berth 20G, will be complete by early next year.
He said the berth will be used as a logistics chain, linking Bangkok and Laem Chabang ports together.
"The link would dismiss a need for authorities to re-inspect cargo," Mr Pailin said. "These new developments will allow the berth to support up to 4,000 boats and 240,000 TEUs per year."