Transport Minister: Thailand to become a regional water transportation hub

BANGKOK, 1 March 2012 (NNT) – The Transport Minister believes that the Pak Bara Port will contribute to Thailand’s attempt to become a regional hub for water transportation. However, he admitted that Thailand is still inferior to neighboring countries in this field.

During an academic seminar to commemorate the Transport Ministry’s 100th anniversary, Transport Minister Charupong Ruangsuwan stated that the water transportation system is essential to Thailand. However, its slow development has put the country behind its neighbors, such as Singapore and Malaysia. In order to create a systemic development of water transportation, the public sector will lend a hand to the private sector by establishing assistance measures, such as tax barrier reduction. Mr. Charupong stated that it is of utmost importance that Thailand and its private sector work together to develop the nation’s own merchant shipping fleet. Although Thailand's export figure is high, the country mostly uses foreign vessels for the purpose, which obstructs Thailand from having total control of trade channels.

With preparations being made for the Laem Chabang Port as well as the ongoing construction of the Pak Bara Port scheduled to be completed in 2-3 years, a connection of the logistic system in the Andaman Sea will be established and Thailand will transform into a regional hub for water transportation. Additionally, the Transport Ministry has a clear-cut policy on the country's entire logistic system, including the connection of land, rail, air and water transportation which will help cut down the private sector’s financial burden on logistics.

-- NNT 2012-03-01

Another hub... Does anyone keep a list of hubs for Thailand?

A hub of water transportation.

A hub of water transportation.

Yes a lot of water "transported" through Thailand last year.

OMG the H word

Don't need to transport it it finds it's own way

.

Why isn't this country called Hubland

A Regional Water Transportation Hub

Hubba Hubba

This years floods will be known as the Bangkok Regatta

There should be a google docs memo with all the hubs listed.

They should build a fleet of low draught merchant vessels to used in the wet season. Besides overcoming transport problems, their specially designed props could help push water out to sea while travelling inland, and they would naturally drift back to BKK.

There should be a google docs memo with all the hubs listed.

Great idea! And you win the nomination!

Actually the minister talked about Thailand "attempt" to become a regional water hub, but the article title is all hyped up to say the country is to become a regional hub. Just a newspaper's attempt to do anything to gain your attention, read their articles, hopefully look at their ads which pays their bills.

Additionally, the Transport Ministry has a clear-cut policy on the country's entire logistic system, including the connection of land, rail, air and water transportation which will help cut down the private sector’s financial burden on logistics.

I tell you what 90% of Thailand's logistics system is: it's millions of little pickup trucks hauling everything under the sun.

So let's see......They have no ships (borrowing them), No fresh water and they admit that they are far behind Malaysia and Singapore?

I want what he's smoking.

What is this fascination with becoming the hub of everything ? How about improving infrasrtucture in trasportation by building a new train system or some new ports instead of talking .

Thailand to become a regional water transportation hub

Does that include flood water and bottled water?

This all makes sense now ... that is why yesterday they announced

" First Cartoon Network Water Park to open near Pattaya

They should just give tourist inner tubes, start them in Udon Thani

and have them ride the flood waters all the way down to the Chao Praya

what is the fixation with this goddam hub word? any english speaking thai members wish to comment?

Edited March 1, 201214 yr by miksguevara

Hahaha. I just skipped to the comments.

Some smart ass politician probably went somewhere on a free junket flight to a real Hub and thought it would be trendy to bring the idea back home.

what is the fixation with this goddam hub word? any english speaking thai members wish to comment?

Easier to pronounce? Rhymes with Pub, Bath Tub and Rub.

Edited March 1, 201214 yr by Payboy

Whatever happened to Phuket becoming an ASEAN IT Hub - which was hyped up a few years back?

Hmm . . .

The Hub of medical tourism

The Hub of South East Asia

The hubs of golf shopping

The Hub for Regional Operating Headquarters

The hub of organic produce

The hub of the digital industry in the Asia-Pacific

The hub of Asia's shopping

The regional trade and investment hub

The Logistics Hub for ASEAN Connectivity

To become the hub for skill development

To become a hub of advance rice trading

Lots more on Google! ;-)

This is becoming positively Pythonesque.

When I read the headlines I thought this must be the government's flood prevention plan but then found it to be yet another Thailand hub of something or other, the ultimate hub being that of idiocy. Pity they don't have the boats though, but then again great way of dumping future floodwaters, or they could collect it and recycle for Pattaya's lengthy songkran!

It slowly starts to dawn on me the significance of Water Catchment Areas. Only AFTER you managed to catch the water, can you start to think of transporting it