Port Authority of Thailand

Port Authority of Thailand (PAT)
Native name
การท่าเรือแห่งประเทศไทย
Company typeState enterprise
IndustryShipping
Headquarters
Bangkok
,
Thailand
Key people
Chayatan Phromsorn
(Chairman)
ServicesPort management
ParentMinistry of Transport
WebsiteOfficial website

The Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) (Thai: การท่าเรือแห่งประเทศไทย, RTGS: Kantarua Thai) is a government agency of Thailand, responsible for the regulation and governance of the ports of Thailand, primarily the ports of Laem Chabang and Bangkok Port, the country's two largest. PAT operates Thai ports in conjunction with public companies including Hutchison Ports Thailand and PSA International.

History

The PAT was founded by the Port Authority of Thailand Act 1951 as an autonomous government agency under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. In 1961 construction was begun on the port of Laem Chabang, due to overcrowding at Bangkok Port. By 1997 Laem Chabang had become the country's busiest seaport. In 2000 the Port Authority of Thailand was converted from a government agency to a state corporation under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport by amendment to the Port Authority of Thailand Act 1951.[1]

Operations

Ports under the governance of PAT include those of Bangkok Port, Laem Chabang, Chiang Saen, Chiang Khong, Ranong, as well as the Bangkok Coastal and Barge Domestic Terminal.[2]

As of November 2016, the latest annual report available, for 2014, contains operational statistics, but no financial information.[3]

In FY2016 PAT ports handled 9,379 vessel calls, down 1.8 percent from FY2015. Total cargo volume was 93.4 million tons, down two percent. Container throughput was 8.6 million TEUs, up 2.7 percent.[4]

Laem Chabang Port

USS Denver (LPD-9) pulls into Laem Chabang Port for a scheduled port visit after completing Cobra Gold 2010

Laem Chabang is in eastern Thailand, on the Gulf of Thailand, and is the country's main deep sea port. It consists of several separate ports, and occupies 2,572 acres (10.41 km2).[5]

In FY2016 Laem Chabang had 6,312 vessel calls, up 0.11 percent over FY2015, to 72.3 million tons, down 1.5 percent. Cargo volume totalled seven million TEUs, up 4.2 percent.[4]

Bangkok Port

Sinar Subang cargo ship at Bangkok Port
Cranes at Khlong Toei Harbor (Bangkok Port)

The Bangkok Port area is on the east side of the Chao Phraya River in Khlong Toei District occupying over 900 acres (3.6 km2), with jurisdiction of 66 km of riverfront.[6]

Bangkok Port had 3,067 vessel calls in FY2016, down 5.5 percent from FY2015. Cargo tonnage was 21 million, down 3.7 percent. Cargo volume totalled 1.5 million TEUs, down 3.4 percent. Full container loads (FCL) decreased to 82 percent, less container loads (LCL) accounted for 15 percent, and 2.7 percent of containers handled were empty. PAT attributes this to the sluggish worldwide economy.[4]

Chiang Saen Port

Chiang Saen is on the Mekong River across from Laos in Chiang Rai Province in north Thailand. Its role as a trade connection with Myanmar, Laos, and the southern provinces of China is expanding and new facilities are being planned 10 km away at the Mae Nam Kok estuary of the Mekong River.[7]

Chiang Sen had 3,485 vessel calls in FY2016, down 61.5 percent from FY2015. Cargo volume was 207,942 tons, down 50.2 percent.[4]

Chiang Khong Port

Chiang Khong is a one-berth port on the Mekong River, across from Laos.[8]

Chiang Khong hosted 942 vessel calls in FY2016, up 24 percent over FY2015. Total cargo volume was 84,874 tons, up 4.4 percent.[4]

Ranong Port

Ranong is on the Kraburi River of the Kra Peninsula, across from Myanmar and near the Indian Ocean coast. Approved in 2003 as a PAT port, expansion is planned to serve the West Indian Ocean and Andaman Sea areas.[9]

In FY2016, Ranong saw 346 vessel calls, up 9.8 percent over FY2015. Cargo volume was 167,864 tons, down 12.7 percent.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ "History". Port Authority of Thailand (PAT). Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  2. ^ PAT, Development of Domestic Coastal Berth and Transit Shed Archived June 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Annual Report 2014 (PDF). Bangkok: Port Authority of Thailand (PAT). 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "PAT Performance in fiscal year 2016". Bangkok Post. Port Authority of Thailand (PAT). 2016-11-15. p. 3.
  5. ^ "Information". Laemchabangport. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  6. ^ "About BKP". Port Authority of Thailand (PAT). Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  7. ^ "About Chiang Saen Port". Port Authority of Thailand (PAT). Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  8. ^ "About Chiang Khong". Port Authority of Thailand (PAT). Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  9. ^ "About Ranong Port". Port Authority of Thailand (PAT). Retrieved 15 November 2016.