Kerry Siam Seaport is preparing to open Thailand's largest privately run deep-seaport, with integrated logistics services in Laem Chabang by January, to serve huge shipping demand to China.
Developed at a cost of US$16.5 million, Kerry Siam Seaport expects the multi-purpose logistical module facility to drive revenue growth of 150 percent in 2008, fuelled by surging global oil prices, said marketing manager Premins Pakadhej.
Kerry Siam Seaport's commercial port is 14.5m deep with four conventional terminals plus two container terminals.
It has a capacity to accommodate four million tonnes of general cargo and has annual container throughput of 400,000 TEUs.
The port comprises 23 warehouses with total space of 88,000 sq. m. It also provides offshore facilities with handling capacity of 3,500 containers per month.
Kerry Siam Seaport has been designed as a tailor-made integrated service facility. The facility would provide exporters with one-stop and door-to-door worldwide service.
The port is equipped with advanced Navis technology to meet the high standards of terminal handling set by the Port of Singapore Authority.
Premins said Kerry Siam Seaport would be an exporting gateway to China, targeting shippers exporting mainly sugar and petrochemicals.
Kerry, in a venture with Alfred Talke of Germany, has been setting up a warehouse and distribution hub in China since early this year to accommodate cargo from the Thai port.
Premins said Thailand's exports to China were worth up to $9.9 million last year, $1.1 million of which consisted of petrochemical products. China ranked as the country's third-largest export destination.
Production of petrochemical products in the Map Ta Phut area alone is expected to reach four million tonnes this year, 70 percent of which was slated for export. The figure is projected to hit 10 million tonnes by 2010, Premins said, adding that Kerry Siam Seaport aimed to become a hub for petrochemical exports.
He said the company expects the port to reach full capacity over the next two years.
He said the company planned to add one more gantry crane in May, bringing its total to three units. It also plans to build two more warehouses to increase its utilisation space to 110,000 sq m.
He said Kerry Siam Seaport had obtained a licence to operate a container terminal and provide domestic feeder services for the first company from the Customs Office at Laem Chabang port.
The company is waiting for a licence from the Department of Highways to operate B-double truck service. The system would enable it to lift its cargo loading capacity from 30 tonnes to 42 tonnes per round.
Premins said given the company's integrated port and logistics services, customers are likely to save costs including logistic expenses by up to 35 percent.
Kerry Siam Seaport is a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Kerry Logistics Network founded by the Kuok Group, operating supply chain and integrated logistics services in more than 180 cities in 26 countries.
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