On 9 February 2015, a seminar on “Coastal Shipping: An Alternative Answer to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam Export.” was organized by the Department of East Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, Bangkok.
     The seminar highlighted the vast potential of the coastal shipping between Thailand-Cambodia-Vietnam. With the lowest cost compared to other modes of transport, namely road and air, it is also the safest and most environmentally friendly route. It also offers great potential as tourism routes linking several  tourist attractions in the Gulf of Thailand and the region. The ports along this coastal route could be further developed in the future to accommodate cruise ships, which would help boost the number of tourists in the sub-region significantly. Therefore coastal shipping should be further promoted in a more systematic manner.
     In order to realize its full potential, efforts from all sectors would be needed. The respective governments could provide more institutional support by creating official frameworks, such as a trilateral cooperation agreement to further accommodate and facilitate coastal shipping. The public sector could also act as an intermediary by partnering local provinces between the three countries in order to promote cooperation in trade and investment. As for the private sector, the shipping operators should improve the quality and price of their service in order to encourage exporters to choose coastal shipping as their choice of transport.
     At present, the existing deep sea ports in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam can provide the infrastructure needed for coastal shipping, and in fact, a number of small shipping operators already operate along this route. However, the number is still very small and the operation needs further standardization due to an insufficient demand in transporting goods by coastal shipping, in particular those from Vietnam to Thailand. Furthermore, sea transport needs to be competitive vis-a-vis road transport where trucks tend to carry loads in excess of the maximum weight allowed, thus reducing its real transport cost.
     Ships used in coastal shipping are normally the size of 500 – 1,000 DWT (Deadweight Tonnage). Currently, fishing boats are modified for shipping resulting in sub-standard carriers which in turn affect the conditions of the transported goods. However, the Thai Ship Owners’ Association confirms that Thai shipping operators have standardized ships which are already operating in international waters and stand ready to provide coastal shipping service given that there is sufficient demand for its service to be profitable.
     On the possibility of coastal shipping for tourism, both Vietnam and Cambodia fully support this idea. Vietnam supports the promotion of the coastal shipping route linking Phu Quoc island where a special economic zone will be established with a view to promote investments to support tourism. Cambodia, on the other hand, attaches importance to the coastal area development of its four provinces, Koh Kong, Sihanouville, Kampot, and Kep. The route with the highest potential for coastal shipping tourism between the three countries is Koh Chang–Sihanouville–Phu Quoc.
     The seminar was a great success with more than 130 participants from all sectors - public, private and academics. Mr. Narong Sasitorn, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, gave the opening remarks. Experts and distinguished speakers from both local and central government as well as private sector shared their experiences and knowledge, such as Mr. Narong Teerachantarangkul, the Governor of Trad Province, Ms. Panpimon Suvannapongse, Consul-General in Ho Chi Minh City, Mrs. Jiranun Wongmongkol, Minister -Counsellor (Commercial), Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh, Mr. Niyom Wairatpanich, Vice President of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Chanet Penchart, Secretary of the Thai Ship Owners’Association, Mrs. Duangjai Jantorn, Enterpreneur; and representatives from the Ministry of Transport and the Port Authority of Thailand.  
     This seminar was a result of the discussion between General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand, and H.E. Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of Vietnam, during the former’s visit to Vietnam during 27 – 28 November 2014, in which both sides agreed to promote coastal shipping from the East of Thailand, via Cambodia, to the South of Vietnam, in order to boost trade, investment and tourism amongst the three countries.