"Sanphet" inspects progress of Laem Chabang Port Phase 3, revealing land reclamation work is over 95% complete. He instructed the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) to swiftly resolve land handover issues for the state's benefit, initiate a Buffer Zone to alleviate traffic congestion, and set a goal to open the F1 terminal in 2031.
Mr. Sanphet Boonyamanee, Deputy Minister of Transport. After visiting Laem Chabang Port in Chonburi Province to monitor progress and provide directives to the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT), especially regarding the Laem Chabang Port Phase 3 development, he stated that this visit followed up on directives given to PAT on 30 April. The aim was to hear updates, challenges, and obstacles from frontline operators since Laem Chabang Port is a key economic gateway and a connection point for Thailand's transport and logistics systems to the global market. He emphasized the need to promptly resolve critical issues and instructed PAT to advance the project clearly on all fronts—land, technical aspects, contracts, and cooperation with contractors—conducting operations quickly, correctly, transparently, and without harming state interests.
Regarding the overall progress of Laem Chabang Port Phase 3, as of 29 May 2026, marine construction work is about 95.57% complete, while utility infrastructure construction is approximately 19.82% complete. Procedures concerning design and contract amendments are ongoing and will be submitted to the PAT Board for consideration within their authority. PAT is closely monitoring the work and preparing acceleration plans where feasible to ensure continuous project advancement.
Since the policy handover on 30 April 2026, the working group has continuously met with GPC International Terminal Co., Ltd. to determine the approach for handing over Phase 3 development areas, including the F berth and shared utility systems. GPC provided technical data, price estimates, and related impact assessments. Meanwhile, PAT gathered information and facts from all parties and coordinated with the design contractor to obtain additional engineering data to support considerations on areas F1 and F2, especially regarding contract specifications on land reclamation quality. They also plan to seek academic opinions from the Engineering Institute of Thailand under Royal Patronage (EIT) to aid in decision-making before setting the next steps.
PAT is expediting consideration to reach a land handover resolution swiftly without affecting the overall project plan. They will incorporate recommendations and academic data from EIT along with technical data and facts from relevant agencies before further discussions with GPC to determine a practical and suitable approach. Legal teams from PAT, Laem Chabang Port, and legal advisors are reviewing contractual claims to ensure operations are complete, transparent, auditable, and fair to all parties. The F1 berth is expected to open within 2031.
Mr. Sanphet said he instructed PAT to manage Laem Chabang Port Phase 3 carefully and systematically, advancing work segments that can proceed immediately while resolving outstanding issues to meet project goals transparently, auditably, and protecting state interests. He issued an acceleration policy for 2026 to raise Laem Chabang Port standards, including managing a Buffer Zone of over 127 rai as a truck waiting area before entering the berths to reduce queues on main roads. He emphasized that contracted berths maintain vehicle throughput at Sub Gates of no less than 50 trucks per hour and utilize the SRTO area to hold outbound containers to ease congestion in private yards. The traffic problem-solving team integrates officials, operators, Customs Department, Department of Highways, Department of Rural Roads, local authorities, and police to operate 24/7, alongside implementing information technology for traffic and queue management systematically.
In the long term, the plan calls for rapid development of a Master Plan for infrastructure, restructuring fee rates, reducing container backlog, expediting Laem Chabang Port Phase 3, increasing rail transport share between Lat Krabang ICD and Laem Chabang Port to at least 50%, and promoting domestic water transport to reduce traffic congestion. These measures aim to improve transport fluidity, support Laem Chabang Port’s role as the country's main trade gateway, and enhance integration with Thailand’s logistics infrastructure for greater efficiency, supporting trade, investment, and sustained economic growth.
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