Samui port study gets nod

The Marine Department has decided to launch a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a cruise ship terminal on Koh Samui in Surat Thani province.

In an attempt to gauge the private sector’s interest in the proposed cruise ship terminal project, the department launched a seminar in Bangkok on Tuesday. The seminar, chaired by the director of the department’s engineering division Wanchai Butthongdee, weighed the pros and cons of using a public-private partnership (PPP) model to fund the terminal’s construction.

Koh Samui was chosen as the location as it is often visited by transiting cruise ships due to its natural beauty. According to the ministry, the island was visited 59 times by cruise ships before the pandemic, making it the third…