An increase in activity at Ranong Port because of Myanmar's move towards shipping export goods instead of using land routes due to its civil war will benefit the government's Land Bridge project, said Deputy Transport Minister Manaporn Charoensri.
Ms Manaporn said the ongoing war in Myanmar is resulting in its cross-border trade with Thailand being halted.
As a result, entrepreneurs are now shipping their cargoes to Thailand by barge through Ranong Port instead of by truck through the land border in Tak's Mae Sot district, she said.
She had ordered the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) to make sure the facilities and staffing levels at Ranong Port are ready for incoming goods from Myanmar.
"This is a good opportunity to reopen cross-border trade routes via Thailand's southern seas.
"It will also foster the government's Land Bridge project to build a bridge linking the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea," Ms Manaporn said.
The project is part of the government's aim to promote the Southern Economic Corridor (SEC) sustainably and connect it to the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) to create extra economic value for the country, she said.
Ms Manaporn added that the Land Bridge project will enhance the country's farm produce, cash crops, farm animals, and farmers' markets in the southern region and raise the region's GDP from 2% to 10% by attracting private investment.
In addition, she said the southern region's economy will grow dramatically as the project will result in factories and industrial estates being opened in the region, which will boost local employment. She also expressed her confidence that Thailand will become a global hub for sea logistics and cargo distribution in the future.
Meanwhile, PAT director-general Kriangkrai Chaisiriwongsuk said Ranong Port welcomed the first cargo ships from Myanmar, including the MCL-4 and Beypore Sultan, on July 5 and 8.
Both ships arrived from Yangon, with MCL-4 carrying 39 containers with imported cargoes when it arrived.
It left Thailand last Friday with 56 containers containing Thai exports, while Beypore Sultan arrived with 56 containers and left with 35, he said.
Mr Kriangkrai said the cargoes brought into Thailand by the two ships included agricultural products.
The ships left the country with electrical equipment and construction materials.
