Phnom Penh: A new container terminal at the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port has been opened. Construction began in 2019 and was completed just a few months ago. The launch ceremony was attended by Minister of Public Works and Transport, Sun Chantol.

The new container terminal upgrades the capacity of the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port to 400,000 container units per year, an increase of 300,000. The terminal now covers an area of 2.75 hectares, upgraded at a cost of $18.4 million. Director General of the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port, Hey Bavy, says the number of containers handled at the port has increased significantly in recent years. Another expansion project is scheduled to start next year, taking capacity to 500,000 units. The final phase will see the Port taken to its full capacity of 900,000 containers per year.

If the Covid-19 pandemic seems to have affected local businesses, Cambodian exports have been rising. According to the Ministry of Commerce, between January and August this year, Cambodia shipped $7-billion in garments, footwear and travel products. That’s an increase of $160 million on last year. Prime Minister Hun Sen says pandemic-induced shocks to the production chains of important producers such as Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam and Brazil have forced a diversion of orders that has benefitted the Kingdom.

^{PHOTO: Ministry of Public Works and Transport - MPWT}