Along Cambodia's long coastline, thousands of ton ships are waiting for more efficient harbors. On August 4th, a meeting on Cambodia's maritime future was held in Phnom Penh. Cambodian Minister of Public Works and Transport, Bingboni, welcomed a special group of guests - Zhou Tao, Deputy General Manager of Rizhao Port Group Co., Ltd. and his delegation. This handshake signifies the comprehensive acceleration of the maritime logistics network in this Southeast Asian country.

Planning a new blueprint for Gongbu

At the meeting table, both sides had a clear goal: to jointly develop the Port of Gongbu and upgrade Cambodia's maritime logistics network. As an important gateway for southern Cambodia's opening up to the outside world, Gongbu Port has a superior geographical location, directly facing the Gulf of Thailand. The waterway here has a water depth of 12 to 13 meters, a total length of 3.5 kilometers, a width of about 170 meters, and a port water depth of over 10 meters, which is sufficient to ensure smooth entry and exit of ships of 10000 tons in all weather conditions. At present, the port has built a 450 meter coastline with 3 berths, and the planned dock coastline has reached 2468 meters. From the perspective of hardware foundation, Gongbu Port has comprehensive operational capabilities for containers, general cargo, and bulk cargo. It can undertake various types of goods such as mineral products, gypsum, building materials, steel, machinery and equipment, engineering materials, and agricultural and sideline products, and provide one-stop services such as loading and unloading, transit, warehousing, and multimodal transportation. Both sides agree that strengthening this maritime infrastructure is crucial for driving Cambodia's economic growth, expanding foreign trade, and promoting regional connectivity.

Deepening the cooperation between Shandong and Cambodia

In fact, the connection between Shandong Port and Gongbu Port has long been established. In December last year, Shandong Port Overseas Development Group successfully signed a contract for the operation and management project of Gongbu Port Terminal, providing intellectual support such as operation consulting, production guidance, and management training. This year, Shandong Port Technology Group also signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Cambodia Gongbu Port Co., Ltd. The intervention of Rizhao Port Group marks the transition of cooperation between the two sides from a single breakthrough to a comprehensive deepening. Relying on the profound accumulation of Rizhao Port in port operation and management, the service capacity and efficiency of Cambodian ports are expected to achieve a qualitative leap. This is not only the connectivity of facilities, but also the seamless integration of management and technology.

Activate the new economic engine

For Cambodia, introducing industry giants like Rizhao Port is far more than just increasing port throughput. Efficient port facilities and modern logistics systems are currently the top priorities for national development. It will fundamentally improve the appearance of transportation infrastructure, significantly reduce logistics costs, and attract more foreign investment and development. With the improvement of the service level of Gongbu Port, Cambodia's competitiveness in the international shipping map will be significantly enhanced, and a new pattern of leveraging the port as a fulcrum to promote the coordinated development of foreign trade and regional economy is taking shape. This logistics artery extending from the Yellow Sea to the Gulf of Thailand will become a new engine for Cambodia to enter the global market.Editor/Yang Meiling