SIHANOUKVILLE: The Royal Government delegate and General Director of the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port (PAS), Lou Kimchhon said that in the five years from 2018 to 2022, the number of imports and exports moving through the PAS experienced an average growth rate of more than 10%.

On 25 April 2023, Lou Kimchhon spoke at a meeting organized by the Club of Cambodian Journalists in which he said that in 2018 and 2019, the import and export of goods increased by 22%, while the last three years have seen an average growth of just over 10%. He noted that the high growth rate has led to congestion in the port. There have long been plans to develop and expand the port, but Covid-19 delayed their progress.

Lou Kimchhon emphasized that the PAS received financial assistance from Japan and the state budget in order to make the transportation of goods through the port more expansive and convenient, with the ultimate goal of creating a more prosperous national economy. New infrastructure is underway, including deep-sea ports, container terminals and other important structures. Currently there are 12 companies which operate between 16 and 18 ships entering and leaving the port regularly.

Sin Chanthy, President of the Cambodian Logistics Association, said that the PAS is very important to Cambodia’s regional and international trade, as about 70% of it is conducted through the port. He reiterated that additional investment in PAS infrastructure development will stimulate economic growth and increase Cambodia’s international trade presence.

The Sihanoukville Autonomous Port is currently in phase one of constructing a new container terminal, a project valued at $203 million USD. The terminal measures 350 meters long, 14.5 meters deep, and will be able to accommodate 93% of container vessels which load 4,000 TEUs (unit of measurement used to measure cargo capacity) on average. The terminal is expected to be operational by mid-2026, making Cambodia's maritime transport comparable to neighboring countries with a capacity of 450,000 TEUs per year.