Government agencies in Thailand have been urged to quicken the development of the Phuket deep seaport so that it could serve as a home port for cruise liners, by the recently appointed Thai Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-O-Cha.

At a glance:

• Thai PM earmarks Phuket seaport work as urgent
• Boom in cruise industry in the region
• Phukets lack of sea port could see it lose cruise liners to rivals

The urgency for the seaport is due to the boom in the cruise industry. According to a various news sources, there is constant interest from the part of cruise companies to extend their routes to Phuket however the existing port facilities – due to the depth of the waterway – doesn’t allow large cruise ships to dock at the port, forcing cruise ships to anchor in the open sea.

The port was originally built by the Harbour Department 30 years ago. It currently needs “urgent enhancement of the facilities”. Initially, the harbour front was 360 metres wide with a 1.30-kilometre waterway from the open sea. 

The Phuket Deep Seaport Co Ltd won the concession to operate the port last year. Since then the company has expanded the port’s facilities, with the becoming 60 metres longer and the waterway to be made deeper to accommodate large cruise ships, a large carpark and a duty-free shop – currently all under construction. 

Teeranun Srihong, the executive director of Phuket Deep Seaport Co Ltd has stated his welcome for the urgency by the prime minister. He stated to turn Phuket deep seaport into a homeport from cruise ships, the government must provide facilities for tourists to quickly clear customs and immigrations and provide cheap and reasonably priced transportation to tourist destinations on the island.

Currently, there are about 38 cruise ship companies in Asia operating some 80 ships, making about 7,200 trips to various locations in Asia per year, including 200 trips to Phuket. Srihong stated that Bali in Indonesia and Long Bay in Vietnam are Phuket’s main rivals, for cruise ship tourists.

Source: The Nation Thailand, ThaiVisa News, 12Go Asia

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