Tourist vessels cruise by a village, in one of the Kingdom’s coastal provinces. Transport ministry
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport has issued a warning that unregistered vessels will be prohibited from operating in Cambodian waters.
The obligation of owners to register vessels with the ministry’s General Department of Waterway and Maritime Transport, and Ports was reiterated in a March 4 notice.
The department stated that many shipping companies and vessel owners operating on Cambodia’s waterways have not yet fulfilled their legal obligation to register.
According to the Law on Waterway Transportation, enacted in March last year, all vessels operating in Cambodian waters — whether in the sea or on inland waterways — are required to register with the authorities.
The notice urged all vessel owners or operators who have not yet done so to submit their applications for registration at the department or a provincial-capital One Window Service Office.
It explained that registration is necessary to ensure proper management of waterway transport operations, compliance with legal regulations, environmental protection and safety, as well as to maintain order and ensure the transparency of business activities in the sector.
“In cases where vessel owners or operators fail to comply with the registration requirements, they will be prohibited from operating in Cambodian waters,” it added.
The ministry emphasised that vessel registration is vital for the efficient monitoring of vessels and their cargo, particularly in tracking goods transported by water.
The law specifies that vessels operating in Cambodian waters must undergo technical inspections, which must be conducted by qualified inspectors.
Ministry spokesman Phorn Rim noted that at the end of 2024, there were 1,373 registered vessels. This included 936 inland and 437 coastal. The majority of the registered vessels are cargo, passenger or fishing vessels.
In late 2023, He told The Post that there were more than 8,000 vessels in the four coastal provinces — Kampot, Kep, Preah Sihanouk and Koh Kong. Among them, more than 300 were used for freight transport.
