Construction of the US$100 million Kampot sea port had been further delayed by rain, materials not being available and incomplete preparations, a local investor revealed yesterday.

Vinh Huor, president of the Kampot Special Economic Zone, (KSEZ) said of the delay: “We are preparing to be better, and that may take some time. I am in Kampot preparing for the works to be well organised.

“Rain is still heavy, so we cannot work. I don’t know exactly when we’ll start, but when we are ready we’ll be able to build the port correctly.”

In early May, Huor said construction of the port would begin in September because the company was constructing roads and filling in land for the port at a total cost of $25 million.

A report published by the Post in August, 2009 said the overall KSEZ project was expected to cost at least $80 million and the port itself would cost $18 million.

Hour said that once started, construction would last for 18 months to two years.

The port will have a water depth of 12 metres, allowing it to accommodate vessels of up to 20,000 tonnes.

“The main purpose of the port is to transport freight such as mined products and metals,” he said in May.

Sihanoukville Port chief executive Luu Kim Chhum said that even though his own port was not operating at full capacity, he believed the construction of the Kampot port was a good thing for Cambodia’s economy.

He said the volume of freight passing through the Sihanoukville port had reached 2.8 million tonnes a year, still short of its capacity of 3.5 million tonnes.

Kim Chhum said he did not think Kampot would take business from Sihanoukville.

“There will not be much competition between the ports, and Sihanoukville port will still play a key role in transporting goods,” he said.

Kampot governor Khoy Khun Huor has said that Kampot province will become a multi-sector area after the port is finished, and the economic benefits will be seen not only in Kampot but the whole nation.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rann Reuy at [email protected]