Ex-Captain: Rethink Landbridge, Don't Chase Singapore

Thansettakij•Economy•24d ago

Reader Briefing

An ex-maritime captain urges the Thai government to re-evaluate the massive Landbridge project, suggesting a shift from a global transit hub to a regional production and logistics center to ensure economic viability.

•An former maritime captain, Bandit Sreepa, has criticized the current scale and ambition of Thailand's proposed Landbridge project.
•He argues that aiming to rival Singapore as a transshipment hub is unrealistic due to inherent logistical costs and suggests a revised focus on industrial value-added activities.
•Bandit proposes downscaling the project to serve mid-sized vessels and prioritize local production, significantly reducing the estimated investment from nearly 1 trillion to 300-400 billion baht.

Overview

•The proposed Landbridge project has an investment value nearing 1 trillion baht.
•Bandit Sreepa, a former maritime captain and logistics analyst, expressed concerns about the project's economic viability.
•Bandit Sreepa warned that targeting the project as a global transit shortcut to compete with the Strait of Malacca would trap it in economic difficulties.
•The Singapore-like transshipment hub model for 20 million TEU per year is unsuitable because the Landbridge requires 'unloading from ships, land transport, and reloading onto ships,' incurring higher costs, time, and risks.
•The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) has scaled up the project, including mega ports and rail systems, driving the investment budget past 1 trillion baht.
•Bandit Sreepa proposes redesigning the project to realistically match demand, focusing on a mid-sized vessel capacity (approx. 5,000–6,000 TEU) to reduce investment to 300,000–400,000 million baht.
•The proposal includes reducing the scale of rail and motorway infrastructure to match actual cargo volumes, avoiding excessive construction investment.
•Shifting focus from transit to processing imported goods in the Southern Special Economic Zone (SEC) for export utilizes the advantage of dual ports for distributing self-produced goods, rather than solely acting as a transit point.

Full article content is available on the original source.

Read on Thansettakij (Thai Version)View in Google Translate

Source: Thansettakij (Original)

Key Quotes

Bandit Sreepa

"If the government still targets this project as a mere global transit shortcut, hoping to compete with the Strait of Malacca, the Landbridge project will immediately fall into an economic trap."

หากรัฐบาลยังวางเป้าหมายให้โครงการนี้เป็นเพียงทางลัดขนส่งโลก เพื่อหวังแข่งกับช่องแคบมะละกา จะทำให้โครงการแลนด์บริดจ์ติดกับดักทางเศรษฐศาสตร์ทันที

Bandit Sreepa

"The model of being a Transshipment Hub at 20 million TEU per year like Singapore is not consistent with the reality of Thailand's Landbridge."

โมเดลการเป็นศูนย์กลางการถ่ายลำเรือ (Transshipment Hub) ระดับ 20 ล้าน TEU ต่อปี แบบสิงคโปร์นั้นไม่สอดคล้องกับความเป็นจริงของแลนด์บริดจ์ไทย

Bandit Sreepa

"Reducing the investment value from nearly 1 trillion baht to just 300-400 billion baht, Bandit stated, can be achieved by adjusting the project's goals and developing it appropriately."

การลดขนาดมูลค่าการลงทุน จากเฉียด 1 ล้านล้านบาท เหลือเพียง 3-4 แสนล้านบาท นายบัณฑิตระบุว่าสามารถทำได้โดยการปรับเป้าหมายของโครงการลงและพัฒนาให้มีความเหมาะสม

Bandit Sreepa

"If considered a global transit route, the Landbridge has a high chance of being arduous. But if considered a regional Production & Industrial Hub + Logistics Hub and scaled down to suit real demand, the project might begin to have more economic rationale."

ถ้าคิดจะเป็นทางผ่านโลก แลนด์บริดจ์มีโอกาสเหนื่อยมาก แต่ถ้าคิดเป็นฐานการผลิต + Logistics Hub ระดับภูมิภาค แล้วลดสเกลให้เหมาะกับ Demand จริง โครงการอาจเริ่มมีเหตุผลทางเศรษฐศาสตร์มากขึ้น

Key Entities

Person

Bandit Sreepa(นายบัณฑิต ศรีภา)

Former maritime captain and maritime and logistics policy analyst who provided critical assessment of the Landbridge project.

Place

Singapore(สิงคโปร์)ℹ️

A country used as a benchmark for transshipment hub operations, which the Landbridge project is advised not to directly compete with.

Strait of Malacca(ช่องแคบมะละกา)ℹ️

A key maritime chokepoint that the Landbridge project aims to offer an alternative to, but which the article suggests it cannot realistically compete with.

Southern Special Economic Zone (SEC)(เขตเศรษฐกิจพิเศษภาคใต้ (SEC))

A proposed economic zone that the Landbridge project could support through industrial value-added activities.

Hambantota Port(ท่าเรือฮัมบันโตตา)ℹ️

A port in Sri Lanka mentioned as a cautionary example of a large-scale project that could potentially face losses if not properly planned.

Organization

Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP)(สำนักงานนโยบายและแผนการขนส่งและจราจร (สนข.))

The government agency that has set the large-scale parameters for the Landbridge project.