The Transport Ministry plans to improve facilities and services of Ranong Port after import-export volumes rose recently.
Manaporn Charoensri, the deputy transport minister, said the increase was due to the unrest in Myanmar as well as reports of call centre scam gangs using Myawaddy and Tachileik as their base.
Consequently, goods that would typically be transported by land through the Mae Sot checkpoint in Tak and the Mae Sai checkpoint in Chiang Rai were now being rerouted to Ranong via maritime transport, as were imports and exports to Myanmar.
"Ranong Port offers a potential for logistics services in the South, and this is an economic opportunity for maritime shipping on the Andaman coast. The business growth of the port is also in line with the government's policy to promote the Southern Economic Corridor," she said on Saturday.
Ranong Port, under the supervision of the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT), has been instructed to expand container yard areas and upgrade facilities for improved shipping services to handle the ongoing increase in shipments.
Kriengkrai Chaisiriwongsuk, director general of PAT, said that since January 2024, Ranong Port has seen an increase in imports and exports, particularly in animal feed maize imports and cement exports.
As a result, there were 281 ships docking during fiscal year 2024 (Oct 2023-Sept 2024), a 69% increase over the same period the previous year. The port handled a total of 2,796 containers, representing a 111% increase. Approximately 324,933 tonnes of cargo went through the port, a 251% increase over the previous year, he said.
In the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 (Oct-Dec 2024), there were 61 ships docking, a 91% increase; 2,002 containers passing through the port, a 458% increase; and 21,294 tonnes of products transiting through the port, a 26% increase.
"The growth of Ranong Port reflects the expansion of the economy and the logistics industry that is linked to neighbouring countries, especially Myanmar, which is a major market for Thai exports such as cement and agricultural products, while the import of animal feed maize reflects the growing demand for raw materials in the animal feed industry," he said.
Ranong Port currently has two piers: a multi-purpose pier that can take cargo ships weighing 500 gross tonnes, and a container pier that can handle ships weighing up to 12,000 deadweight tonnes. "The facility has the potential to become a maritime commercial hub on the Andaman coast," he added.
