Construction on a new tourist ferry port located about 6 kilometres from the provincial capital in Kampot province has been delayed, although a Tourism Ministry spokesman promised that construction would begin before the end of this year.

The $10 million port, funded by a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is set to occupy 4 hectares in the province’s Teuk Chhou district. Construction on the port will take about two-and-a-half years and, once completed, the new facility would be able to service cruise ships from neighbouring Vietnam and Thailand.

“It is delayed because we need to prepare and finish procedures and documents,” Tith Chantha, spokesman for the Tourism Ministry, said on Monday. “The construction will start soon, absolutely in this year.”

Soy Sinol, the director of the provincial Tourism Department in Kampot, said he had expected construction to begin earlier this year, but has not yet received details about the port’s capacity or current status.

“I have no idea why the plan was delayed,” he said. ADB officials did not respond to a request for comment.

About 162,000 foreign tourists visited Kampot province last year, according to the ministry.