BANGKOK (NNT) - The southern land bridge megaproject will help drive the Thai economy and support the government’s plan to make Thailand a logistics hub in ASEAN.

 

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said the government wants to invest in infrastructure projects, covering sea, air and land, to support growth.

 

He told key business people and state authorities, during a seminar called "Empowering Thailand", that the southern land bridge will be a new route for logistics and trade in the region, replacing the Strait of Malacca, as it will become the shortest shipping route from the Indian Ocean to the Gulf of Thailand and the Pacific Ocean.

 

According to Mr Saksayam, the Transport Ministry expects to develop a full picture of the project next year, after the cabinet approves its initial feasibility study, while many foreign investors have shown interest in investing in the land bridge.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-06-25

 

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What are these guys on ?

The green stuff

So ships will dock on the East side of the isthmus unload the goods

whatever they are ,  load them on a truck or train , take them over

to the West side *, unload the goods , put them back on a ship.....

sounds like a good Thai idea ????

regards worgeordie    * and vice versa.

Wouldn't be the subtle beginnings of the Chinese canal to bypass the mallaca strait would it? ????

Huba Dub Dub....yet another Hub !

Quote

many foreign investors have shown interest in investing in the land bridge.

Thailand the hub of little red envelopes.

 

Quote

"Empowering Thailand"

Is that what they told you? ????

There are those as they say with ideas that could grow into something meaningful and useful . Then therre are those whose ideas are so stupid they fight to maintain the feasabilty of the idea. This is one of those ideas, spawned by a desire to shorten the distance but hampered by Thai inability to guarantee that the infrastructure required will even work. .

14 hours ago, Excel said:

What are these guys on ?

I'm sure China will fund it and be ever so grateful.

A "LOGISTICS HUB" they can't even handle the logistics of the Covid 19 vaccine and they are going to show the rest of Asia how to do it.

Ah, Kra Canal project version 54628193.7

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The southern land bridge megaproject

For reference:-

 

It isn't Panama or Suez.  It'll cut off around 1,000Km of sea travel, not 10's of thousands.  Would the shipping companies even think the slower transit, extra admin, and charges, were worth the shorter distance?   

 

Not to mention the possibility of the type of screwups we see whenever a traffic light is under manual control.

2 hours ago, DefaultName said:

It'll cut off around 1,000Km of sea travel, not 10's of thousands.  Would the shipping companies even think the slower transit, extra admin, and charges, were worth the shorter distance?   

10 hours ago, Khun Paul said:

spawned by a desire to shorten the distance but hampered by Thai inability to guarantee that the infrastructure required will even work. .

 

This is not about distance or for the benefit of Thailand or the Thai people,  this is purely a strategic move by the CCP to counter the west and the Indian line of control in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, nothing more.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andaman_and_Nicobar_Command

 

The Chinese will build these ports, then end up owning them one way or another through debt-trap diplomacy or whatever else it takes.

 

Why do you think they wanted Ream naval base in Cambodia? it's all part of the plan.

 

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3135530/cambodias-ream-naval-base-upgrade-sparks-worries-china-link-us

 

On 6/25/2021 at 5:34 PM, Stocky said:

The green stuff

Wrong currency. They not bothered with dollar.

23 hours ago, lavender19 said:

Wrong currency. They not bothered with dollar.

That's debatable, China needs us dollars for he belt and road because the contractors don't want rmb.

https://www.ft.com/content/2524222a-b66b-3605-a6f6-bc496787f0bd

Southern Land Bridge Megaproject Will Make Thailand a Logistics Hub in ASEAN

That it will unless some exceptional country decides to sanction Thailand into poverty.  Or maybe not.  Maybe in the long-haul the exceptional nation simply owns the crossing one way or another.
Maybe after it's built a "democratic" Thaksin shows up to oust a "regime" who doesn't wish to play ball.  Maybe?

37 minutes ago, misterjames said:

That's debatable, China needs us dollars for he belt and road because the contractors don't want rmb.

https://www.ft.com/content/2524222a-b66b-3605-a6f6-bc496787f0bd

Don't blame them.

Singapore will be getting anxious ... some time late this century, maybe.

54 minutes ago, misterjames said:

That's debatable, China needs us dollars for he belt and road because the contractors don't want rmb.

Politicians like to buy houses in Europe or the USA, so dollars are better.

2 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

Singapore will be getting anxious ... some time late this century, maybe.

Maybe they'll just send money to the Southern separatists. 

17 minutes ago, Stocky said:

Politicians like to buy houses in Europe or the USA, so dollars are better.

Yes that and without being paid in dollars the belt and road contractors won't do the work.

 

So essentially they need dollars or their belt and road plans will fail miserably.

 

Ironic that their future is so dependant on the US dollar isn't it? 

Cheaper , and more practical by far, than a canal, but I couldn't say if it would be economical for the shipping companies. They would decide that with their custom.

I don't know who would supply the bulk of the money to construct the ports, nor what long term intentions are involved, but like many could make a fair guess. 

I do know that road across the isthmus has been newly constructed or upgraded and now resembles a super highway albeit with little traffic. Not much road construction is needed to complete the link.

The route around Singapore and up the Malacca Strait is one of the most crowded shipping routes on the planet. Some years ago I travelled it as part of a long line of vessels. I was a little concerned when our ship had to enter ports by cutting across the line of traffic going in the opposite direction. Diverting much of the traffic away could be a very good idea.

Unloading containers on to truck or train and then reloading back on to ships at the other side is not quite the same huge undertaking it once was. A shipload of containers can be loaded/unloaded very quickly. Again I couldn't hazard a guess as to the costs involved in comparison to taking the longer way around.    

I wouldn't get too excited with this project completion. At it stand now, the government is still surveying locations along the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea in Chumphon and Ranong for engineering, enviromental and economica potential of 2 deep sea ports. The reported Bt4.47 bn project is still in its infancy. In March this yeat, The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy hired a organization to draft a study of the project. Project can change with the new government. I wouldn't hold my breathe for this project and probably will procrastinate along like the attempt to build the canal.