Isthmus of Kra, Thai canal, land bridge plans

[Nereus]

"If we dig the canal, we would become the leader of Asean," Gen Thawatchai said.

It really is quite sad that supposedly adult people actually think in this manner.

[europtimiste]

The tunnel between France and UK was also an old dream, finally realized. Sometimes decisions take time.

[usual suspect]

Thailand simply has to be the world leader when it comes to the greatest number of 360* diggers +6-wheel tipper-trucks within a single country, so digging 120 km of canal and taking the soil away (each 6-wheeler usually has 30 tons onboard!) would surely be not much of a challenge..add to this the ability to lay/pump cement 24 hrs a day, and they'd have it done in a few months..Add graders & vibro-rollers into the project and they'll include a main road along each side of the canal too ..
.....

[handdrummer]

As long as China exists, Thailand will never lead in anything except road deaths.

[nil]

I found this shipping map quite interesting

https://www.shipmap.org

[StevePIraq]

Very interesting, yet so little is done to reduce ship pollution.

[buksida]

Prayut suggests reviving East-West canal plans
The Thai government is planning to attract more foreign investment with the building of the Kra Canal, Prime Minister Prayut-Chan-ocha said after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Prayut said his government is now concentrating on stimulating domestic demands while reducing the country’s economic dependency on external demand as part of the short-term plan to cope with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

For the long term, the coalition government will focus on infrastructure projects including the redevelopment of the Eastern Economic Corridor, followed by the possibility for the Kra Canal which is also known as the Thai Canal or a “land bridge.”

“Even though we already have the EEC, we also need to come up with a new mega project to attract more investment to Thailand,” he said.

“The EEC started five years ago so there is need to look for a new project such as the connection and transport between the East and West including the land bridge which is now being considered,” he added.

The prime minister also said that the project should be able to help with Thailand’s economic expansion in the long-term and government agencies have been instructed to look into investment plans for the project.

Saksayam Chidchob, the Minister of Transport, said in August that the ministry is studying a project about deep seaports that will be 15 meters in depth to connect the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand through the ports in Chumphon and Ranong.

He said the ministry is looking at the cost-benefit of the investment and the impact of the project on the local people. He added that they are looking at two possibilities: to redevelop the existing ports or land reclamation for new ports to be built on.

The Kra Canal project is one of Asia’s most ambitious projects; however, it has yet to be built even though there have been centuries of research dating back to King Rama I.

Critics said it would never happen because the Singapore government keeps lobbying various Thai governments, including Thaksin Shinawatra’s administration, from building it.

https://www.thaienquirer.com/18042/pray ... bout-coup/

Translation: foreign investment = Chinese money

[buksida]

The junta geniuses are still at it ...

Govt floats new plan for land bridge
The government is considering the idea of a land bridge project connecting the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand via Ranong and Chumphon provinces.

Deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul on Sunday told a press briefing that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha wants to improve infrastructure to increase the country's competitiveness.

"Prime Minister Prayut gave us the guideline that we must be prudent and look at financial feasibility, cost-effectiveness, environmental impact and public acceptance," Ms Traisuree said.

"This land bridge project is a strategy to link the Middle East and East Asia via Thailand."

She said the land bridge would help to connect oil producers in the Middle East and Europe with energy importers and manufacturers in Japan, South Korea and China.

The Ministry of Transport's feasibility study will take a year to complete. It will take another two years for approval and related processes before the construction of the government and private sector co-investment can begin.

The project envisions a dual-track railway and motorway spanning the 130 kilometres between Ranong and Chumphon. Deep sea-ports will be built on both the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand sides.

She said the route will shorten the usual transportation time by two days.

The land bridge is part of the government's plan to develop a Southern Economic Corridor covering Chumphon, Ranong, Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat which will connect with the Eastern Economic Corridor in Chon Buri and Rayong.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/20 ... and-bridge

[Thailightzone]

Looks like this land bridge is going ahead. (Sorry it's a translation)

Screenshot_20210302-223647_Facebook.jpg

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I have no idea why the gulf side begins where it does, around Chumphon city. There is a large natural protected bay in Chumphon but I didn't think there was any significant ports existing up there. At this starting point they must go the diagonal distance South West to avoid Myanmar (which is not depicted on the map) coming out the other side it looks like at Ranong. I don't understand why not horizontally across? Mountains?

Like the worlds other two maritime 'shortcuts', this area will become a global strategic asset if completed.

I'm pretty damned sure Singapore won't be too happy. Singapore has the largest port in the region for the mere fact that ships have to travel around the peninsular. Something like 90% of cargo in Singapore's massive ports is transiting.

[Thailightzone]

Ah just realised why so far North on the gulf side. Koh Samui, Ko Pha Ngan, Ang Thong are all blocking the way for safe passage.

[buksida]

Not sure how they're going to tackle the great big mountain range in Ranong ... unless water goes uphill in Thailand.

[GroveHillWanderer]

Not sure how they're going to tackle the great big mountain range in Ranong ... unless water goes uphill in Thailand.

It's a land route:

The project envisions a dual-track railway and motorway spanning the 130 kilometres between Ranong and Chumphon.

[buksida]

Ok, so its effectively just another motorway, and that image with the ships passing through is totally misleading!

[hhinner]

The pictures say land bridge. It's a motorway and railway. Plus ports. Plus pie (in the sky).

[buksida]

Looks like they are serious about this - another project for China to get its hands on no doubt ...

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Govt mulls southern bridge spots
The location of the government's land bridge project in the South -- touted as a more convenient way to transport goods from the Middle East to the Pacific region -- will be decided by June, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said on Monday.

The government is surveying locations along the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea in Chumphon and Ranong for engineering, environmental and economic potential, the transport minister said after chairing a meeting of the government's committee on the southern land bridge project on Monday.

The Chumphon-Ranong land bridge project will serve as a link for the transport of oil from the Strait of Hormuz, more than 4,000 kilometres away from the Andaman Sea, to a port in Ranong before it is transported by land to a port in Chumphon, where it will be shipped to other countries in the region, including China, Japan and South Korea, Mr Saksayam said.

The future transport route could become a new option for cargo shipments between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and it will boost economic development in areas in southern Thailand, he said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... idge-spots