Vietnamese rice exporter face challenges from foreigners in Cambodia

Vietnamese rice exporters will face tough competition from foreign countries looking to exploit advantages that Cambodia presents as a beneficiary of the the EBA (Everything But Arms) initiative, says an Econet report.

Under the EBA, Cambodia, as a least-developed-country, enjoys zero tariffs and no quotas for exporting its farm produce, especially rice, to the EU.

Building water links from Cambodia to Vietnam

Authorities are planning upgrades to effectively double the capacity of boats travelling from Phnom Penh Autonomous Port to Vietnam, according to port Director General Hei Bavy.

A 2009 agreement with Vietnam authorities allows ships travelling down the Mekong from Cambodia to off-load at Cai Mep deepwater port near Ho Chi Minh City, and re-load onto larger vessels to make the trip overseas. Although the agreement has led to a large increase in shipments from Phnom Penh Autonomous Port (PPAP), experts say more could be done to improve the link.

Fast freight: Coastal port sees more shipments

Freight shipments passing through Sihanoukville Autonomous Port (SAP) jumped nearly 7 percent year-on-year through the first seven months of 2011, according to official figures released yesterday.

Total freight shipments through July reached 135,324 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), up 6.75 percent from the same period last year. At the same time, total tonnage increased 13 percent to 1.4 million tonnes. 

Phnom Penh Port sees growth for freight

Freight shipments through Phnom Penh Autonomous Port increased 31 percent for the first seven months of the year, compared with the same period in 2010. The port handled 43,859 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) from January to June this year, from 33,364 TEUs in the same period 2010. The increase came through increased imports and exports of agricultural products, textiles and raw materials for the garment industry, and construction materials, said port Director General Hei Bavy. “With the government policy pushing for rice exports, we see that increased agricultural production this year has led to growth in shipments through the port,” he said.

Source: Phnom Penh Post

Sihanoukville port expansion

 The port aims to begin construction on its 85 million USD expansion later this year, with a tentative completion date of 2014, said Chairman and CEO Lou Kim Chhun last week.

The state-owned enterprise has just approved a deal with Japanese engineering consultancy company Nippon Koei Co, he added.

Shipments increase at Sihanoukville Port

FREIGHT shipments through Sihanoukville Autonomous Port saw year-on-year growth of more than 14 percent in the second quarter of the year, according to official SAP figures. 

The total number of twenty-foot equivalent units that passed through the port rose 112,594 in the first six months, up 8.6 percent from 103,624 TEUs compared with the same period last year, SAP said.

The port saw large increases in the shipment of goods such as garment products, rice, coal, vehicles and machinery and construction materials between January and June,

Vietnam’s deep-water links spur Phnom Penh Port growth

Vietnam’s Cai Mep port has contributed to a growth in shipments from the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port (PPAP) this year, Cambodian officials say.

The Vietnamese deep-water port, near Ho Chi Minh  City, allows cargo to be transferred to ships travelling to more distant markets such as the European Union. 

“We have noticed that since we began operations [through Cai Mep] to the EU, the shipments have increased,”  PPAP commercial director Eang Veng Sun said.

Cambodia begins to attract money

Cambodia, once regarded as a spill-over investment from Vietnam, is showing signs of standing on its own feet as frontier funds start to produce strong returns.

Frontier investors such as Leopard Capital – a private equity fund which launched a potential $100m Cambodia-focused fund in 2008 only to close with $34m – is now finding renewed interest in the country, holding the door open as other regional funds begin to sense an opportunity.

Vietnam’s largest asset manager, Vinacapital Investment Management, in January announced it would be expanding into Cambodia with a pledge to invest $100m, launching a dedicated fund targeting real estate, infrastructure, hospitality and agriculture investments.

Port shipments to soar

Shipments through Sihanoukville Autonomous Port have increased this year largely on increased exports of rice and acacia wood, Director General Lou Kim Chhun said.

Some 91,100 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) were transported through the facility between January and May, an 8.7 percent increase on shipments during the same period last year, according to port statistics.

An increase in shipments of products such as garments, oil and coal were main drivers of the growth, though agriculture and timber products were showing the largest increase, he said.

Cambodia and Japan conclude a study program on port management and terminal evaluation

A study program on port management and terminal evaluation between Cambodia’s Ministry of Public Works and Transportation and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) concluded last Friday.

The just concluded programe were signed by H.E. Tram Iv Tek, Minister of Public Works and Transportation and Mr. Massahiko Furuichi, Representative of JICA to Cambodia.

On the occasion H.E. Tram Iv Tek expressed thanks to JICA and Mr. Massahiko Furuichi who is also the head of Japanese Terminal Evaluation Team for their assistance to the said program.

Source: AKP