Prime Minister Hun Manet poses for selfies with staff at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port. STPM
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has reiterated that the government is continuing its efforts to expand and strengthen the capacity of its largest deep-sea international port while also reducing the complexity of its standard operating procedures (SOPs), to help boost national economic growth through the promotion of trade and logistics.
By 2030, the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port (PAS) in Preah Sihanouk province is expected to be capable of receiving the world’s largest cargo vessels.
Speaking at meeting with civil servants and staff at PAS on May 1, the 139th International Labour Day, Manet said that the Cambodian government is pursuing several strategies to transform the port — Cambodia’s largest international deep-sea port — into a more significant hub, both regionally and globally.
Currently, due to the shallow depth of the port — just 11.5 metres — it cannot accommodate large vessels and can only receive about 45% of cargo ships in the Asia-Pacific region. Many shipments to Cambodia must first be transferred at ports in Singapore, Thailand or Vietnam. He added that this limited capacity contributes to the Kingdom having higher transportation costs than neighbouring countries.
He explained that the ongoing development project is divided into three phases.
Phase 1, which began in December 2023 and is expected to be completed by 2027, will increase the depth to 14.5 metres, allowing the port to receive up to 93% of cargo ships from the Asia-Pacific. Phase 2, to be completed by 2029, will deepen the port to 16.5 metres, enabling it to receive 95% of cargo ships from the Indo-Pacific region.
Phase 3, to be completed by 2030, will deepen the port to 17.5 metres, enabling it to receive 100% of cargo ships from around the world.
“In summary, after the development of all three phases in 2030, the capacity of PAS will be significantly improved. It will increase from being able to handle just 45% of regional cargo vessels to 100% of global cargo ships,” he said.
He added that once the project is completed in 2023, the total port capacity will increase from about 1 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) per year to over 2.6 million.
Regarding the streamlining of procedures for cargo shipping, Hun Manet stated: “The government and relevant institutions are also working hard to review and simplify various procedures, along with the adoption of technological systems to reduce processing time,” he said.
Sin Chanthy, president of the Cambodia Logistics Association (CLA), told The Post on May 2 that waterway transportation has been widely used around the world for thousands of years.
At present, the vast majority of large-volume and heavy freight globally is transported by sea. The use of waterway transport in Cambodia — particularly at Pas and the inland port in Phnom Penh — is steadily increasing.
“The use of seaports in Cambodia will increase significantly in the future because the volume of Cambodian-made products for export to international markets continues to rise. Waterway transport is more affordable and can carry larger volumes compared to other methods,” he added.
He noted that according to research by Indian experts, waterway transport has a smaller environmental impact (in terms of air pollution) compared to road transport.
In 2024, the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port recorded a total throughput of 1,032,191 TEUs, a 29.38% increase over 2023, marking unprecedented growth. This achievement highlights the crucial role the port plays in Cambodia’s transport and logistics sector, contributing significantly to national economic development.
Lou Kim Chhun, delegate of the Royal Government of Cambodia in Charge as Chairman & CEO of PAS, stated that the port’s leadership and officials will continue striving to improve their services to achieve high performance that benefits shareholders and contributes to national economic growth.
