Pristine Ayeyarwady coastline flagged for new $10bn industrial zone
Source: Frontier Myanmar
Date: 7 February, 2018
"We can develop [Ayeyarwady] region in a decade if we use the coastline correctly and wisely,"
U Win Htay, Ayeyarwady Region Minister for Electricity, Energy, Industry and Transportation
A large engineering firm is proposing a deep-sea port and industrial zone in a hard-to-reach part of Ayeyarwady Region's western coast, bringing with it road and rail connections to Yangon.
Win Htay said the Wetthay-Metta area was the most suitable location for development projects along the coast.
"We can develop [Ayeyarwady] region in a decade if we use the coastline correctly and wisely," he said.
Win Htay said the development of a deep-sea port in the delta region, with a special economic zone and road networks, was among the trade and investment policy recommendations made in the White Book published by the European Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar in June.
The White Book said restrictions on the size of vessels that can use Yangon's river ports and a lack of infrastructure were a "significant constraint" on the country's maritime trade.
It said Yangon's river ports and the terminal at Thilawa could handle vessels of up to 167 metres and 200m in length, respectively, but docks in Thailand and Vietnam could accommodate ships of up to 320m.
