Nearly half of Bangkok Port is make way for retail megamall and other commercial developments as the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) looks to regenerate the area.
PAT plans to redevelop 64 hectares of the 144 hectare area occupied by Bangkok Port into a megamall and other commercial space.
“It will be something like [newly opened megamall] Iconsiam. The format will basically be a large business city with the goal of becoming a new landmark and tourism centre in the capital that offers convenient links to river-based tourism,” the Director-General of PAT, Kamolsak Promprayoon was quoted by the Bangkok Post as saying.
With the port area shrunk to 80 hectares, PAT would invest in upgrading it by installing a new and automated port system to transform it into a modern logistics and cargo distribution centre, he added.
A private company is to undertake a feasibility study on the plan to redevelop part of the port area for commercial purposes.
As a river port, Bangkok Port is restricted to handling feeder sized vessels and Thailand’s main gateway port is Laem Chabang, which is about two hours drive east of Bangkok. Some lines such as Thailand’s Regional Container Lines (RCL) also call other private terminals in Bangkok such as Thai Sugar Terminal.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.