An aerial view of Phnom Penh Autonomous Port (PPAP), the local publicly-traded state-owned operator of inland port terminals in and around the capital. YOUSOS APDOULRASHIM
Phnom Penh Autonomous Port (PPAP), the local publicly-traded state-owned operator of inland port terminals in and around the capital, has forecast a container throughput of 394,679 twenty-equivalent units (TEU) this year as Covid-19 tapers off, which would be a 13.12 per cent rise over 2021, according to its head.
A TEU is an inexact unit of cargo capacity used in the shipping industry roughly equivalent to a container with internal dimensions measuring about 20 feet long, eight feet wide and 8.5 feet tall, or a volume roughly 38.5 cubic metres.
PPAP director-general Hei Bavy defended the prediction, saying high coronavirus vaccination rates in the region and further afield have developed a meaningful degree of herd immunity, easing the impact of Covid-19 and prompting countries to more widely resume economic activity. This, he said, will translate to increased container throughput at port terminals.
He said that annual container throughput at the terminals generally averages 15-18 per cent, recording 348,898 TEU last year, up by nearly 20.0 per cent from 290,857 TEUs in 2020, which followed a 3.49 increase over 2019.
CSX Market Operations Department director Kim Sophanita told The Post recently that PPAP managed a considerable estimated increase in net profit for 2021, which the firm attributes to strong business performance in terms of containers and overall cargo.
She said: “2021 was the year of disruption for global supply chain and logistics, but I think Cambodia was less affected. Even though there were some travel and business restrictions, our port industry performance remained strong, due the fact that Cambodia was among a few countries in the world that managed the Covid situation well.”
On March 21, PPAP, through a partnership with local company Khmer Cold Chain Co Ltd (KCCC), broke ground on Cambodia’s largest temperature-controlled cold storage and cross-docking facility – which will be able to handle up to 25 per cent of the Kingdom’s total requirements – in Kien Svay district, Kandal province.
Bavy said that the groundbreaking announces to the international business industry and investors the availability of cold storage facilities at the port to serve their needs.
“Through enhancing the logistics sector in Cambodia, the cold storage facility will contribute significantly to the country’s economic growth,” he said.
In 2020, PPAP reported an unaudited revenue of $29.48 million, down six per cent from $31.31 million in 2019, which Bavy blamed primarily on Covid and its impact on goods transport and other services.
