Thailand is looking to construct a land passageway that would connect the Indian and Pacific Oceans, bypassing one of the world¡¯s busiest shipping lanes.
The Strait of Malacca, a narrow sea lane between Malaysia and Singapore, is currently the shortest sea route linking the Asia-Pacific region with India and the Middle East. About a quarter of the world¡¯s traded goods pass through it each year.
¡°The Strait has become quite congested,¡± Transport Minister Saksiam Chidchob said in an interview last week. ¡°Using an alternative route through Thailand would cut shipping time by more than two days, which is very valuable for businesses.¡±
Thailand plans to build two deep seaports on either side of the country¡¯s southern coasts, and link them via highway and rail, according to Saksiam. The 100-kilometer ¡°land bridge¡± would replace an existing proposal to dredge a canal through the isthmus. That would cause too much destruction to the environment, he said.
The idea for a canal that would traverse the nation¡¯s narrowest point and trim the travel distance by 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) has been put forward and dismissed several times over the past few decades.
The government has approved a 75 million baht ($2.4 million) budget for a study to examine the construction of two seaports, and another 90 million baht to examine highways and rails linking them, according to Saksiam.
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