THAILAND is preparing to advance a trillion-baht “land bridge” megaproject designed to reshape regional shipping routes, with plans to present the proposal to Cabinet by June as concerns grow over potential disruptions at key global maritime chokepoints.
Bloomberg cited Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn saying the project, estimated at around 1 trillion baht (RM122.56 billion), would link ports on the Andaman Sea with those on the Gulf of Thailand, creating a transshipment corridor between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
He said the initiative aligns with the position of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who has indicated that the project should proceed in light of possible future instability in the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite criticism that cargo transfers between ports could lengthen delivery times, Phiphat argued that transshipment is already the dominant model in global shipping.
“More than 90 per cent of global container shipping involves cargo transshipment rather than direct end-to-end delivery.
“If cargo is transhipped at Thai ports, it would also need to be transhipped elsewhere, such as in Singapore,” he said, adding that Thailand aims to capture a larger share of regional transshipment traffic.
He confirmed that a feasibility study conducted by the Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning Office has been completed, and that he will conduct a site visit in May ahead of the Cabinet submission.
The project is expected to be opened to both domestic and international investors on equal terms, with the government maintaining that it will not directly finance the development.
Construction could begin as early as the end of this year, pending Cabinet approval, which Phiphat said is likely to be sought between June and July 2026. - April 25, 2026
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