The Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) ( th, การท่าเรือแห่งประเทศไทย, ) is a government agency of

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, responsible for the regulation and governance of the

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

s of Thailand, primarily the ports of

Laem Chabang Laem Chabang ( th, แหลมฉบัง, ) is a port city municipality (''thesaban nakhon'') in Si Racha and Bang Lamung districts of Chonburi Province, Thailand. It includes Thung Sukhla subdistrict (''tambon'') and parts of subdistricts Buen ...

and

Bangkok Port Bangkok Port ( th, ท่าเรือกรุงเทพ) (BKP), popularly known as Khlong Toei Port (), is an international port on the Chao Phraya River in Khlong Toei District of the Thai capital city, Bangkok. It is operated by the Port Au ...

, the country's two largest. PAT operates Thai ports in conjunction with public companies including Hutchison Ports Thailand and PSA International.

History

The PAT was founded by the Port Authority of Thailand Act 1951 as an autonomous

government agency A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administrati ...

under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. In 1961 construction was begun on the port of Laem Chabang, due to overcrowding at Bangkok Port. By 1997 Laem Chabang had become the country's busiest seaport. In 2000 the Port Authority of Thailand was converted from a government agency to a state corporation under the jurisdiction of the

Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government age ...

by amendment to the Port Authority of Thailand Act 1951.

Operations

Ports under the governance of PAT include those of

, Chiang Saen, Chiang Khong,

Ranong Ranong ( th, ระนองPronunciation) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of the Ranong Province and the Mueang Ranong District. The town covers completely the area of the ''tambon'' Khao Niwet (เขานิเ� ...

, as well as the Bangkok Coastal and Barge Domestic Terminal. , the latest annual report available, for 2014, contains operational statistics, but no financial information. In FY2016 PAT ports handled 9,379 vessel calls, down 1.8 percent from FY2015. Total cargo volume was 93.4 million tons, down two percent. Container throughput was 8.6 million TEUs, up 2.7 percent.

Laem Chabang Port

is in eastern Thailand, on the

Gulf of Thailand The Gulf of Thailand, also known as the Gulf of Siam, is a shallow inlet in the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of the Indochinese Peninsula and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. It is around in l ...

, and is the country's main deep sea port. It consists of several separate ports, and occupies . In FY2016 Laem Chabang had 6,312 vessel calls, up 0.11 percent over FY2015, to 72.3 million tons, down 1.5 percent. Cargo volume totalled seven million TEUs, up 4.2 percent.

Bangkok Port

The

area is on the east side of the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Et ...

Khlong Toei District Khlong Toei (also Klong Toey, th, คลองเตย, ) is a district in central Bangkok, long known for its slum. It is bordered by the Chao Phraya River and contains major port facilities. It is also the site of a major market, the Khlong T ...

occupying over , with jurisdiction of 66 km of riverfront. Bangkok Port had 3,067 vessel calls in FY2016, down 5.5 percent from FY2015. Cargo tonnage was 21 million, down 3.7 percent. Cargo volume totalled 1.5 million TEUs, down 3.4 percent. Full container loads (FCL) decreased to 82 percent, less container loads (LCL) accounted for 15 percent, and 2.7 percent of containers handled were empty. PAT attributes this to the sluggish worldwide economy.

Chiang Saen Port

Chiang Saen Chiang Saen may refer to: * Chiang Saen District, in Chiang Rai Province, northern Thailand * Chiang Saen, a capital of the ancient Lanna The Lan Na Kingdom ( nod, , , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; th, อาณาจักรล้� ...

is on the

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annuall ...

across from

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

in Chiang Rai Province in north Thailand. Its role as a trade connection with

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

, and the southern provinces of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

is expanding and new facilities are being planned 10 km away at the

Mae Nam Kok Mae is an American rock band that formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 2001. The band's name is an acronym for "Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience", based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University. Histor ...

estuary of the Mekong River. Chiang Sen had 3,485 vessel calls in FY2016, down 61.5 percent from FY2015. Cargo volume was 207,942 tons, down 50.2 percent.

Chiang Khong Port

Chiang Khong is a one-berth port on the Mekong River, across from Laos. Chiang Khong hosted 942 vessel calls in FY2016, up 24 percent over FY2015. Total cargo volume was 84,874 tons, up 4.4 percent.

Ranong Port

is on the

Kraburi River The Kraburi River ( th, แม่น้ำกระบุรี, , ; my, မြစ်ကြီးနား, BGN/PCGN: myitkyina, ''Kyan River''), also Kra ( th, กระ) or Pak Chan River ( th, แม่น้ำปากจั่น) is the ...

of the

Kra Peninsula The Malay Peninsula ( Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The ar ...

, across from Myanmar and near the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

coast. Approved in 2003 as a PAT port, expansion is planned to serve the West Indian Ocean and

Andaman Sea The Andaman Sea (historically also known as the Burma Sea) is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by the coastlines of Myanmar and Thailand along the Gulf of Martaban and west side of the Malay Peninsula, and separated from ...

areas. In FY2016, Ranong saw 346 vessel calls, up 9.8 percent over FY2015. Cargo volume was 167,864 tons, down 12.7 percent.

References

External links

ASEAN Ports Association, Thailand
{{authority control

Organizations based in Bangkok State enterprises of Thailand Water transport in Thailand Government agencies established in 1951 1951 establishments in Thailand