Thailand Advances $28 Billion ‘Landbridge’ Sea Route to Connect Asia-Pacific with India and Middle East
Bangkok proposes a transformative deep-sea port and transport corridor to bypass the congested Strait of Malacca and strengthen global trade connectivity
Thailand has unveiled a landmark infrastructure initiative designed to establish a new maritime and overland corridor connecting the Gulf of Thailand in the east with the Andaman Sea in the west, forging a direct link between the Asia-Pacific region and markets in India, the Middle East and beyond.
The so-called Landbridge project, estimated to cost around $28 billion in investment, envisages the construction of two deep-sea ports in Chumphon and Ranong provinces linked by an integrated network of highways, railways and logistics facilities across a roughly 90–100-kilometre stretch of southern Thailand’s peninsula.
The scheme is intended to provide an alternative to the increasingly congested Strait of Malacca — a narrow sea passage that currently handles about a quarter of global traded goods — by allowing cargo vessels to discharge on one coast and have goods transported overland before being reloaded for onward sea journeys, reducing travel times by several days and lowering shipping costs.
Thai authorities say the Landbridge could handle container volumes equivalent to nearly a quarter of current Malacca throughput once operational at scale, significantly enhancing Thailand’s role as a nodal hub in international commerce.
The government has submitted draft legislation to expedite development of the Southern Economic Corridor, which will underpin the project’s institutional framework and attract international investment under a public-private partnership model.
Expected to be completed in phases with initial operations targeted by the end of the decade and full capacity by the late 2030s, the project is also anticipated to generate substantial employment and stimulate economic growth by reinforcing Thailand’s strategic position in global supply chains.
Supporters argue that the initiative will help diversify maritime routes, enhance regional connectivity and improve resilience against bottlenecks in existing shipping lanes, while aligning with broader efforts to integrate Thailand more deeply into Asia-Europe and Indian Ocean trading networks.
The so-called Landbridge project, estimated to cost around $28 billion in investment, envisages the construction of two deep-sea ports in Chumphon and Ranong provinces linked by an integrated network of highways, railways and logistics facilities across a roughly 90–100-kilometre stretch of southern Thailand’s peninsula.
The scheme is intended to provide an alternative to the increasingly congested Strait of Malacca — a narrow sea passage that currently handles about a quarter of global traded goods — by allowing cargo vessels to discharge on one coast and have goods transported overland before being reloaded for onward sea journeys, reducing travel times by several days and lowering shipping costs.
Thai authorities say the Landbridge could handle container volumes equivalent to nearly a quarter of current Malacca throughput once operational at scale, significantly enhancing Thailand’s role as a nodal hub in international commerce.
The government has submitted draft legislation to expedite development of the Southern Economic Corridor, which will underpin the project’s institutional framework and attract international investment under a public-private partnership model.
Expected to be completed in phases with initial operations targeted by the end of the decade and full capacity by the late 2030s, the project is also anticipated to generate substantial employment and stimulate economic growth by reinforcing Thailand’s strategic position in global supply chains.
Supporters argue that the initiative will help diversify maritime routes, enhance regional connectivity and improve resilience against bottlenecks in existing shipping lanes, while aligning with broader efforts to integrate Thailand more deeply into Asia-Europe and Indian Ocean trading networks.
