As Cambodia develops, there is a strong need for the country to develop its connectivity infrastructure. As an export-driven economy, Cambodia is working to further enhance the flow of goods around the country, but especially so when it comes to its three main international border gates in Sihanoukville, Bavet and Poipet.
Within Phnom Penh, this includes fixing 389km of roads over the next five years, building six flyovers to reduce traffic congestion, and developing a LRT monorail subway tramway.
To promote the use of inland waterways instead of transportation via roads, the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port (PPAP) is planning to develop small-scale sub-feeder multipurpose terminals along the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. The capacity of the port will be increased to 500,000TEUs and a logistics centre will be developed within the port supporting area, incorporating a rice processing facility and establishment of cold/dry warehouse.
Interest in Sihanoukville is picking up. It’s currently a hotbed of construction activity as it urbanises and develops. The number of containers handled at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port (PAS), the nation’s only deep-sea port, increased by about 17% as the handling capacity of the port improved. In end 2018, this reached a total of 537,107 20-foot equivalent units (TEU).
The Ministry of Public Works & Transport is also working with Japanese Investment Cooperation Agency (JICA) towards a new container development project at Sihanoukville. This will increase the draft at the port to 14.5m, allowing larger container ships of 5,000 TEUs to berth. Freight rates are expected to fall due to economies of scale, thereby making PAS a much more attractive port of call for more than 90% of the vessels in the region.
Construction is also due to begin soon on a major expressway that will connect Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, while the local government has plans to build a ring road in Sihanoukville to further improve connectivity.