Hutchison Ports Thailand (HPT), a port operator at Laem Chabang Port, reported a 10% year-on-year increase in cargo volume in the first half of this year.
Thailand’s overall imports grew 26.2% year-on-year by value in the first six months of 2021, while exports grew 15.5% to US$132 billion.
HPT said the increase was partly due to the servicing of ultra-large container vessels, which constituted 12% of all vessels the company serviced in the first half.ADVERTISEMENT
“As the leading port operator in Thailand, it is our responsibility to ensure the safety of people working in our terminals by implementing Covid-19 protective measures while facilitating growing trade activities in the country,” said Stephen Ashworth, managing director of Thailand and Southeast Asia at Hutchison Ports.
“This underlines our commitment on environmental, people and business development to grow our business sustainably, which is demonstrated by the expansion of the new Terminal D at Laem Chabang Port, which will support a range of industries and prepare Thailand for the full-scale return of business.”
Hutchison Ports is the parent company of Hutchison Ports Thailand.
Mr Ashworth said HPT reported 3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2020, giving it around 30% of the market in Thailand.
The company employs 1,300 people.
Laem Chabang Port handled 7.6 million TEUs in 2020, while Thai ports in total handled 10.5 million TEUs.
“When we all come out of Covid, what will happen in terms of physical goods trading is difficult to predict,” he said.
“It’s probably going to exceed the annual average, with steadier growth and more consumption from next year to 2023, depending on how the economy reacts.”
HPT operates 23 ship-to-shore cranes at Laem Chabang Port and is considered the largest port operator at the location.
The company plans to increase its capacity to 6.75 million TEUs over the next few years.
More than 500 ships used HPT’s facilities in the first half this year, with ultra-large container vessels reaching a capacity of over 12,500 TEUs.
HPT also handled the importation of MRT Blue Line trains and autonomous BTS Gold Line trains.
“We are operating terminals C1, C2 and D1, and plan to develop D2 and D3,” said Mr Ashworth.
“We are going to fulfil our obligations to complete construction of all our terminals in the next few years. The Thai government and Port Authority of Thailand are also going to develop phase 3 of Laem Chabang, including terminals F1, F2, E1 and E2. The government is very cautious in managing the expansion to come online when demand for cargo starts to increase.”
He said the phase 3 expansion for Laem Chabang is vitally important to the government’s Eastern Economic Corridor project in an effort to modernise and integrate new technologies into the region’s shipping infrastructure.
