Sihanoukville Autonomous Port

Sihanoukville Autonomous Port or Port Autonome de Sihanoukville (PAS) is a government agency and state corporation of Cambodia and Sihanoukville that operates and governs the country's sole deep water port.^[1] Located in Sihanoukville, in Bay of Kompong Som on the Gulf of Thailand in the south of Cambodia. The port was founded in 1960 with the construction of the Old Jetty, which has four berths.

The port has continued to build, adding several more berths, a container terminal, a tanker terminal and an industrial effluent treatment plant.^[2][3] Currently there are 9 berths available for medium ships with a maximum draft of 8.5 metres. The total berth length is 1330 metres and the tidal variation is 1.4metres.^[4] The decking for the original pier laid in 1958 consisted of 137 pre-stressed concrete beams, each 35 metres long and weighing around 90 tons. The beams were constructed on site and proved so difficult to manoeuvre that a small railway was constructed to transport the beams from the fabrication site.^[5]

PAS' board of directors is appointed by a variety of government ministries. It employs over 1000 people.^[6] In 2003, PAS acquired the remaining 70% of the Cambodia CWT Dry Port near Phnom Penh. In addition to the 30% share already held, this made the state-owned Sihanoukville Autonomous Port the sole proprietor of the dry port. The port was reported to have been sold for 3.037 billion Cambodian Riel (USD $823,000) in cash.^[7]

History

Before and During the period of the French Protectorate, Cambodia had no deep water port to facilitate international trade. The small port on the river at Phnom Penh was only able to handle ships of up to 3000 tons during the dry season and 4000 tons during the wet season. Kampot was Cambodia’s only ocean port and deep-water access was impossible due to the need to navigate the Tuk Chhou River in order to access the port. The French colonial administration preferred to use Saigon for international trade and thus Cambodia’s access to the ocean was via the Mekong and necessitated passage through Vietnamese territory. Independence from France for both Vietnam and Cambodia in 1953 highlighted the need for Cambodia’s own deep-water port.^[8]

A number of sites were initially considered for the new facility including – Kampot, the small outpost at Ream and Sre Ambel. However, the deep waters off a rocky promontory near Koh Pos at the mouth of the Kampong Som Bay were finally chosen as the site for Cambodia’s first ocean port.^[9]

Construction began in 1955 with $12 million in funding from the French government and was completed in late 1959. The port was inaugurated in April 1960 by Louis Jacquinot, the French Minister of State.^[10]

In October 2013 in the harbor of the port of Sihanoukville opened the first in the history of Cambodia marina Oceania .^[11] Marina is located on the harbor breakwater island of Koh Preab (Koh Prib).

See also

• Government of Cambodia
• Transport in Cambodia
• Port authority
• Port operator
• Sihanoukville

References

External links

• Sihanoukville Autonomous Port official site
• Unofficial SihanoukVille Port site
• http://www.marina-oceania.com/