Bangkok--9 Nov--GIZ Thailand
The ASEAN-German project on Sustainable Port Development in the ASEAN Region (SPD) has supported 12 ports in 7 countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) to enhance the quality and efficiency of Safety, Health and Environmental (SHE) Management. This resulted in the improvement of the quality of life for the workers and communities surrounding the ports. In Thailand the project is cooperating with the Ports of Bangkok and Laem Chabang.
As part of a regional ASEAN programme on 'Cities, Environment and Transport', SPD started its activities in 2009 and is currently running in its 2nd Phase (2013 – mid-2016). The project is financed by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and jointly implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the ASEAN Port Association (APA) on behalf of the ASEAN Secretariat.
Mrs. Franca Sprong, Project Director, explains the relevance of the project: "The trend in this region is continuous economic growth. Maritime transport and ports are essential components for international trade and goods movements. But the concentration of maritime transport activities and port operations close to or in cities represents high safety and health risks."
"After 6 years of collaboration, all ports have made major progress in SHE Management. Coming from different starting points the ports have been able to share and exchange experiences. Focus has been on reducing environmental impacts and improving safety for port workers. The ports involved in the project developed and implemented systems for accident registration and prevention. Some of the ports improved their ship waste management system following international standards.
More than 1000 employees in port operations and management have been trained in the course of the project. The trainings that were developed are adapted to the needs of port workers, middle and top management as well as national authorities. A network of instructors and training centers has been established which will continue to support the ports after the project is phasing out next year." added Mrs. Sprong.
LT.JG Chamnan Chairith, Deputy Managing Director of Bangkok Port, Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) said "In Thailand, the Bangkok Port and Laem Chabang Port are actively cooperating with the project. The 6 year collaboration with the project is in line with PAT's policy to improve safety and health for all port employees and to reduce the environmental impacts caused by port operations. The cooperation with the project has been a major driving force resulting in the establishment of Bangkok Port's Safety, Health and Environmental (SHE) Division. Through the project's support on traffic management, air quality and traffic congestion has been reduced in and around the port. The waste management system in Bangkok Port has also been improved towards compliance with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973/1978 (MARPOL 73/78). A ship waste management manual has also been developed in cooperation with the project, and will be expanded for implementation in other ports under the PAT in the future.
Concerning the safety, the system for accident/incident reporting and investigation procedures is improved. Safety awareness has also been increased for the staff. As a result, they are more aware of safety issues, and thus abide by the rules and regulations especially when using the tools, equipment and heavy machinery."
"As Thailand is the host country of the project, Bangkok Port plays an important role as a centre for cooperation and experience sharing among the other 11 participating ports in the ASEAN Region. In 2013 and 2014 respectively, representatives of the Myanma Port Authority (MPA) and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) visited the port to observe the port's best practice on SHE management and the handling of dangerous goods" LT.JG Chamnan added.