Thailand exports para-rubber and rice by going through Port Klang and Tanjung Pelapas in
Malaysia as well as Singapore which adds transportation cost since both Malaysia and Singapore
put a surcharge on Thai exports. To cut transport costs, the new deep sea port at Pak Bara (Lagoo
district of Satun) would cost approximately THB5.6 billion. This will cut transportation costs by
THB269 million a year. The advantage of Pak Bara over Phuket and Phang Nga deep sea port is
that Pak Bara could accept larger ships (50,000 ton DWT). Pak Bara is 13 m deep which could
be easily upgraded to 25 m deep, and Pak Bara is only 150 miles away from international routes
inside the Straits of Melaka. The Pak Bara deep sea port requires a good rail connection and
there are 3 choices for the route: (1) Trang - La Ngoo - Pak Bara (100 km)46 (2) Hat Yai - Satun - Pak Bara (130 km)47 (3) Kuan Nian - La Ngoo - Pak Bara (110 km).48 The proposal for a land
bridge to run between Songkhla – Pak Bara (a distance of around 130 km) by a dedicated rail or
road link would enable transhipment of containers from Songkhla to Pak Bara for further
movement (to Indonesia to Medan or Banda Aceh, Europe, Middle East etc.).