Cambodia: Fresh delay hits Kampot ferry port construction

• Mar 26, 2018

Construction of the first tourism seaport in Kampot province has been delayed once again after companies trying to win the contract failed to get their bids right.

Work was due to start last year and has been hit by repeated delays. The timeframe for construction is now uncertain.

Soy Sinol, director of Kampot Provincial tourism department, said the project has been delayed again due to technical procedure issues.

The project is to be built with a $10 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and aims to promote tourism in the province.

According to ADB, none of companies has passed the public bidding stage.

It said the construction delay would last until near the end of the year.

The seaport had been expected to be finished by the end of next year.

Covering four hectares of land in Tek Chhou district, the seaport will be able to accommodate ferries with capacities of 200 to 300 people once it is completed.

The port would play a vital role attracting tourists to the province, and would provide many financial benefits to the people of Kampot, Mr Sinol said.

It would also facilitate travel along the Cambodian coast and enhance the flow of tourists from neighbouring Vietnam and Thailand.

The port is expected to serve 360,000 international and domestic tourists a year in its first year and 442,000 by 2022, according to ADB.

In 2017, Kampot welcomed 1.6 million tourists, both local and international, according to the provincial tourism department.

Source: http://www.khmertimeskh.com/50115991/fresh-delay-hits-kampot-ferry-port-construction/