Kampot, Cambodia, June 6 (Agency) Cambodia on Thursday inaugurated a multipurpose seaport here in southwest Kampot province’s Bokor city, aiming at enhancing the kingdom’s logistics and maritime transportation sector. Speaking at the launching event of the Kampot Multipurpose Port in the first phase, Prime Minister Hun Manet said the port will be a new international gateway to facilitate Cambodia’s trade with other countries. “This port will become a new important artery for Cambodia’s maritime transportation,” he said. “It will better improve trade activity and exchange of goods, contributing to boosting the kingdom’s economic growth and social development.” Hun Manet said the Kampot multipurpose seaport plays a supplementary role to the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port and the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port.
Minister of Public Works and Transport Peng Ponea said built on a total area of 600 hectares, the development of the port in the first phase cost approximately 140 million U.S. dollars, which was invested by local firm Kampot Port. The port included a shipyard, a container terminal, a warehouse, and a terminal for tourist vessels, among others, he said. With a depth of 10 meters, the port is able to accommodate vessels weighing 10,000 tons or in equivalent to 666 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit), he added. Ponea said in the second phase, the port’s water depth will be increased to 13 meters.