Land bridge across the Kra isthmus

armchairlawyer · Post by **armchairlawyer** » Sun Oct 22, 2023 12:19 pm

Thailand isn't the only local country pushing hard for Chinese inward investment (as well as Chinese tourists) but this idea has to be the most far-fetched.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/th ... al-3860941

1. The Malacca Straits are not equivalent to the Capes Horn and Good Hope. They are not far away and easy to navigate.
2. A land bridge would require the construction of two new deep sea ports.
3. The Thai PM says it will cut 6 to 9 days off voyage times, experts say 1 to 2 days (assuming no delays at the ports). Who to believe?
4 The proposed land bridge high speed rail (why high speed, it's only 90km?) and road (wny both?) links would also be costly.
5. Container ships would have to offload at one prt, reload onto the trucks/wagons and reverse all that on the other side.
6. Dry bulk could not use the new route at all.
7. Tankers would have to discharge their oil into a pipeline and reverse this at the other end.
8. Not all oil is the same, you cannot send crude down a pipeline and then send refined product like gasoline or diesel. Thus you'd need at least two pielines.

The alternative project, a real canal, would be much more costly but could conceivably be viable, has been rejected because it would "split Thailand in two."

Alex · Post by **Alex** » Sun Oct 22, 2023 12:59 pm

This has been brought up (and dismissed) many times since the 19th century.

It's obviously a harebrained idea, so I wouldn't be surprised if Thailand's current PM decides that he and his Chinese brothers should finally get it done. That's exactly the kind of project I could see him waste time and resources on.

armchairlawyer · Post by **armchairlawyer** » Sun Oct 22, 2023 1:03 pm

Alex wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2023 12:59 pm This has been brought up (and dismissed) many times since the 19th century.

It's obviously a harebrained idea, so I wouldn't be surprised if Thailand's current PM decides that he and his Chinese brothers should finally get it done. That's exactly the kind of project I could see him waste time and resources on.

The canal idea has a long history but the land bridge is relatively new ( and therefore exciting!)

phuketrichard · Post by **phuketrichard** » Sun Oct 22, 2023 1:06 pm

armchairlawyer wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2023 1:03 pm
Alex wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2023 12:59 pm This has been brought up (and dismissed) many times since the 19th century.

It's obviously a harebrained idea, so I wouldn't be surprised if Thailand's current PM decides that he and his Chinese brothers should finally get it done. That's exactly the kind of project I could see him waste time and resources on.
The canal idea has a long history but the land bridge is relatively new ( and therefore exciting!)

exactly> wont happen in our lifetimes

newkidontheblock · Post by **newkidontheblock** » Sun Oct 22, 2023 8:20 pm

Need waiting transport ships at departure terminal, a fleet of trucks? And multiple pipelines? Hugely increased costs,

Only China would be desperate enough to fund it through..

Canals work because the ships don’t unload and load, and the transit time is far less than going around.

Plus it will still be blockaded in the event of war.

truffledog · Post by **truffledog** » Sun Oct 22, 2023 10:52 pm

Just imagine the sheer quantity of fat courruption envelopes that such a huge project would generate. If the decision makers find an agreement on how to share them anything is possible.

Doc67 · Post by **Doc67** » Mon Oct 23, 2023 7:36 am

It would be high on the list of "Things to bomb" in the event of a war between the West and China.

Kammekor · Post by **Kammekor** » Mon Oct 23, 2023 8:02 am

I have a friend who's a sailor. He told me loading / unloading a single container takes about 2-3 minutes but several cranes, usually 3 or 4, can load / offload simultaneously. His ship carries just 5.000 containers. If the loading / offloading goes on 24/7 it will take around 40 hours, well over 1,5 days.
His ship has an average speed of about 30 km per hour to save on the costs of fuel, so during the extra loading / offloading they could also cover 1.200 km's. He assumes it's a no brainer for most container carriers. Although he would love the the extra stop!

A canal would be a different story though, he used the canal at Kiel, Germany, a lot. It saves time because they don't have to round Denmark. The problem with canals (for instance the Canal @ Kiel) is a lot of them requite licensed staff to enter it because the margins can de quite small and it requires certain skills and knowledge to safely cross.

ali baba · Post by **ali baba** » Mon Oct 23, 2023 9:12 am

The Strait of Malacca is expected to reach capacity by 2030 so there will be demand for a shortcut. This is a half measure that wouldn't save any time for those using the Malaca straight but might be preferable for those told to go the long way around Java. Thailand's reluctant to build a canal because it would weaken its control over the southern provinces, which have large Muslim populations with significant succession sentiment.

phuketrichard · Post by **phuketrichard** » Mon Oct 23, 2023 9:42 am

the reason china wants it , is it gives them quick access to India

Land bridge across the Kra isthmus

Land bridge across the Kra isthmus

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