Thai ports bemoan competitive decline as Srettha pushes 'land bridge'

SONGKHLA, Thailand -- On a hot February afternoon, a 170-meter container ship pulled into the port of Songkhla. It was hardly full, as southern Thailand's largest port is not deep enough to support fully loaded vessels.

That adds to costs for exporters, whose cargo must be transferred to larger vessels in Malaysia or Singapore, and less income for the port, which charges handling fees per container and berthing fees by the day. To cut costs, some southern industries avoid Songkhla altogether, sending rubber and lumber by truck across the border to the Malaysian port of Penang.