PM Offers Clarification on Landbridge Project

[snoop1130]

 

BANGKOK (NNT) - Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Srettha Thavisin, announced the details of the 2024 national budget during today’s parliamentary session (Jan 4). The Prime Minister provided additional insights into the Landbridge project.

 

Emphasizing the nation’s readiness, including the Suvarnabhumi Airport and the deep-sea port in Laem Chabang established during the tenure of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Srettha highlighted the critical role of infrastructure in positioning Thailand as a significant production center. With a population of 70 million, many Thai products are distributed globally.

 

However, congestion and accidents at the Malacca Strait have led to substantial transportation delays. The Landbridge project aims to address this by enhancing Thailand’s competitiveness, particularly in oil transportation. Currently, 60% of global oil is transported through the Malacca Strait. If these challenges persist, they could lead to transportation problems, subsequently impacting commerce.

 

The government considered the Landbridge project in light of its awareness of global geopolitical conflicts. Remaining neutral and globally connected, Thailand is positioned as an advantageous shipping point.

 

Nevertheless, the government remains attentive to the concerns of local residents, opposition parties, civil society, and businesspeople. The government is determined to ensure that the Landbridge project becomes a mega project beneficial to the nation and holds global significance.

 

Furthermore, several countries, including Saudi Arabia, with high energy security, expressed interest in investing and establishing refineries in Thailand. This investment is viewed as a means to enhance Thailand’s energy security and readiness, ultimately contributing to an improved standard of living for the people.

 

By Na-ark Rojanasuvan

 

Full story: NNT 2024-01-05

 

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[retarius]

A stupid idea. lots of spending on infrastructure means lots of money from corruption going to people with the power to influence who gets what contracts. 

[mfd101]

Doesn't address the basic economic/financial & practical issues (unloading/uploading at one end & repeat at the other end) pointed out by many people on AN.

 

The chances that anything will happen beyond hot air are slight.

 

Though perhaps not zero in the very long run, if bottlenecks at Singapore/Straits of Malacca were to get much worse ...

[IAMHERE]

Imagine one of those large ships unloading their thousands of containers to be loaded onto another ship waiting at the other end of the land bridge.

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The government is determined to ensure that the Landbridge project becomes a mega project beneficial to the nation and holds global significance.

 

Furthermore, several countries, including Saudi Arabia, with high energy security, expressed interest in investing and establishing refineries in Thailand. This investment is viewed as a means to enhance Thailand’s energy security and readiness, ultimately contributing to an improved standard of living for the people.

Hog wash...

[djayz]

Was there not talk of a canal only a year or two ago? What happened to that idea? 

[bamnutsak]

The PM is selling a non-existent bridge.

 

Transporting oil across the Thai Land-Bridge will involve a pipeline, and be incredibly inefficient.

 

 

He looks silly and incompetent pushing this idea. But that's his "brand".

 

 

 

[retarius]

4 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

The PM is selling a non-existent bridge.

 

Transporting oil across the Thai Land-Bridge will involve a pipeline, and be incredibly inefficient.

 

 

He looks silly and incompetent pushing this idea. But that's his "brand".

 

 

 

Do you mean his brand is the land bridge? Or his brand is 'stupid and incompetent'?

[fondue zoo]

5 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

The PM is selling a non-existent bridge.

 

Transporting oil across the Thai Land-Bridge will involve a pipeline, and be incredibly inefficient.

 

 

He looks silly and incompetent pushing this idea. But that's his "brand".

 

 

 

 

 

I just keep getting the Monorail vibe.

 

 

 

 

 

[bamnutsak]

1 hour ago, retarius said:

Or his brand is 'stupid and incompetent'?

 

This one. Landbridge is an "idea". Silly and incompetent is a brand. 

 

15 minutes ago, fondue zoo said:

I just keep getting the Monorail vibe.

 

Credit to "Ya Got Trouble" from the Music Man. The PM is an accidental con man. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI_Oe-jtgdI

 

 

 

[Muhendis]

If I understand this landbridge idea correctly, a container ship docks at one end, unloads it's (200?) containers onto 200 trucks then moves away from the docks to make room for another to do the same.

Then what does the ship do?

He waits and waits for another cargo coming from the other end, but what cargo and where is it to be delivered. Probably a logistics nightmare.

[fondue zoo]

On 1/5/2024 at 8:06 PM, snoop1130 said:

Currently, 60% of global oil is transported through the Malacca Strait.

 

So this land bridge is also going to move oil from tanker/coast to tanker/coast?

awww, is someone thinking refineries?

 

1 hour ago, Muhendis said:

If I understand this landbridge idea correctly, a container ship docks at one end, unloads it's (200?) containers onto 200 trucks then moves away from the docks to make room for another to do the same.

Then what does the ship do?

He waits and waits for another cargo coming from the other end, but what cargo and where is it to be delivered. Probably a logistics nightmare.

 

Nobody said anything about expensive to maintain truck fleets, you've seen those guys on scooters with 8 industrial gas bottles stacked behind them secured by a single frayed bungee strap. That times a thousand, a constant stream of freight scooters across the nation, and it shall be, glorious!

[xtrnuno41]

2 harbors must be made for colossal ships.
Chumphon and Ranong. Ships are unloaded and everything has to be transported by rail or truck through the stretch between the ports. Then they are put back on ships on the other side to continue their journey. So many locomotives (electric?) and/or trucks.
Cranes for unloading and loading. What I call lost energy, day in, day out.
Does that really outweigh the detour?
I'm not even talking about the land adjustments, destruction, many roads and rails.
The 4 will have to be widened considerably and next to that the rail will be? Some (lots) people will have to move.
And Lamnan Kra Buri National Park will then be a thing of the past. Then sacrifice too.
The seas on either side too. The question is what this will do in terms of pollution and impact on nautical life.

There has to be very deep waterways for the ships. How big are the ships coming there?

For instance, The Ever Ace, 400 meters long, 61,5 wide and 15 m depth in water, carrying 24000 containers ! 
Of course, for energy there will have to be gigantic power plants.
Can I still propose, while we are at it, to bore a tunnel all the way from port to port and allow transport to continue there. Turn them into vacuum tunnels and that will also save energy, perhaps?
There will be a lot of brown envelopes being passed around again.

im not an expert, but maybe it would be better to make that canal then. Land will be lost anyhow.

But then no ports, no extra pollution with trains and or trucks, less time, ships can get straight through, no maintenance on trains /trucks cranes and other things. Just only on canal.

[Dogmatix]

On 1/5/2024 at 5:19 PM, retarius said:

A stupid idea. lots of spending on infrastructure means lots of money from corruption going to people with the power to influence who gets what contracts. 

know the project is not viable - they went through the motions in the first Thaksin govt - but it gives Srettha something to do which can't possibly be successful, so he won't upstage Ung Ing with her soft power.  Also it provides fat consulting fees for PT cronies.