The Transport Ministry is seeking approvals for a public-private partnership cruise terminal on Koh Samui, with operations targeted for 2032.
BANGKOK — Thailand’s Transport Ministry is advancing plans for a 12.17-billion-baht cruise terminal on Koh Samui, equivalent to approximately US$334 million, aimed at supporting large cruise ships and expanding the country’s cruise tourism capacity.
The project, overseen by the Marine Department, is part of 262 major transport projects planned for 2027, with combined investment of 229.76 billion baht, or approximately US$6.3 billion.
The proposed terminal would cover 47 rai, comprising 15 rai of onshore land and 32 rai of offshore space. It is planned under a public-private partnership net cost model, with a private partner to build and operate the facility under a 30-year contract.
Total private investment is estimated at 12.02 billion baht, or about US$330 million, including 6.27 billion baht for construction and equipment, approximately US$172 million, and 5.75 billion baht for systems, operations and maintenance, approximately US$158 million. State investment is estimated at 148.58 million baht, or about US$4.1 million, with infrastructure costs to be reimbursed over 10 years.
The project is currently under Transport Ministry review and will be submitted to the transport minister for in-principle approval before going to Cabinet. Applications for use of land controlled by relevant agencies, including the Royal Forest Department, are being prepared in parallel.
Under the preliminary schedule, Cabinet approval is targeted for 2027, followed by tendering in 2028. The terminal is scheduled to begin operations in 2032.
Once open, the Koh Samui cruise terminal is expected to handle 200,000 to 400,000 tourists a year and around 240 cruise calls annually.
A project study estimates the terminal could generate about 46 billion baht, or approximately US$1.26 billion, in economic value over 30 years, with an economic rate of return above 15 per cent.
The development is intended to strengthen Koh Samui’s role in regional cruise itineraries and improve Thailand’s maritime tourism infrastructure.
Currency conversions are approximate and based on about 36.4 baht to US$1.
Basesd on an editorial report in The Nation
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