Three Ministries to Talk with ADB on Restoring Canal Connecting to Kampot Tourist Port

• Sommana Yan
• 1 March 2023
• Local News
• 2959 Views

The launch of the Kampot tourist port project has been delayed due to water depth issues although the construction has been completed. Three ministries, including the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, are currently negotiating to secure a budget to restore the canal that connects to the port.

HE Sun Chanthol, Senior Minister of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, recently confirmed that the port construction had been completed. Still, its operations are on hold until the water depth issue is resolved.

“The port has been completed, but it cannot be operated yet because the depth of the water in the port is shallow and it needs to be restored,” the senior minister explained.

As an initiative to resolve this water depth issue, the three ministries are preparing documents to select private companies to manage and maintain the international tourist port.

On 19 January, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, wrote a letter to a local private company that expressed interest in operating the port, urging direct talks with the Asian Development Bank to expedite the loan procedure for canal restoration.

Kampot Provincial Governor HE Mao Thunin explained that the port’s non-operational status is due to the water depth issue, and the ministries are working towards a solution to streamline tourism activities at the port.

The Kampot tourist port project was completed on 30 June 2022, with a construction budget of approximately US$9.27 million from a joint budget between the Asian Development Bank and the Royal Government of Cambodia.

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• Projects Development
• Road and Infrastructure