The construction of the Yangon-Dala bridge, or the Korea-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, is on and work on laying the bored pile foundation for the bridge on the Dala side is 60 per cent complete, said U Maung Maung Cho, chief engineer of Myat Noe Thu Company, which is implementing the approaching bridge project.

“Of the 141 bored piles, 81 have been drilled down. Bored piling and other piling foundation processes on the side of Dala are expected to finish in March. For now, laying of the piling foundation is still under way,” he said.Similarly, the temporary approaching bridge from Yangon side is being implemented by the CCECC Company.

While construction is on, vessels are required to travel between two red and green buoys placed along the site. There are two red and yellow buoys installed on the Dala side and two green and yellow buoys on the Yangon side.The companies carrying out Dala construction projects are following safety and security measures.Upon completion of the Yangon-Dala bridge, local people from Dala, Twantay, Kawhmu, and Kungyangon in Yangon Region will enjoy smooth transportation and faster trade. The project is also expected to improve the livelihood of local people.

Source: Global New Light of Myanmar

New four-lane tarred road stretching from Thanlyin Bridge to Thilawa SEZ built with Japanese ODA loans will be completed at the end of 2019, according to Japanese Ambassador Mr. Ichio Maruyama. It is initially expected to be finished in November, but some works are left to do.

The new four-lane tarred road is from Thalyin Bridge to Thilawa SEZ.  The new four-lane tarred road and Bago River Crossing Bridge (Thanlyin Bridge-3) are under construction using Japanese ODA loans. The stake driving ceremony of Bago River Crossing Bridge (Thanlyin Bridge-3) was held in Yangon. Bago River Crossing Bridge (Thanlyin Bridge-3) will be built through three phases spending Japanese ODA loans of US$ 300 million.

Bago River Crossing Bridge (Thanlyin Bridge-3) will connect Thanlyin with Thaketa. It is 1928 meters long and the length of the main bridge is 1224 meters. The approach bridge on Thaketa side is 300 meters long. The approach bridge on Thanlyin side is 404 meters.

Source: Eleven 

An announcement by the Road Transportation and Administration Department (RTAD) regarding the ownership of vehicles is being received poorly, members of the public and auto-industry insiders say. The RTAD recently announced that all cars must be registered in the current owner’s name and address, and if ownership of the vehicle changes hands, a tax of 3 percent must be paid to Internal Revenue Department (IRD). IRD normally collects taxes ranging from 15 to 30pc on vehicles. At present, car owners can change owner name easily and the RTAD collects just K 5000.

Beginning January 2020, every car buyer must submit their national identity card and census information when they register vehicles, renew the registration, or have their vehicles inspected. If the vehicle is not properly registered under the owner’s name, the vehicle will have to be registered correctly and taxes will have to paid to IRD. The RTAD, is therefore urging car owners to properly register their vehicles under their name during the grace period.

At present, many in Myanmar people buy used cars, but do not have to change the ownership of the vehicle. When accidents occur, the police have had trouble investigating because the current owner and the registered owner’s name for the vehicle are not the same. However, vehicle owners wants to comply with the new regulations without having to pay taxes on their vehicle again.

Source: Myanmar Times 

Myanmar and Thailand officially opened the second friendship bridge that crosses Thaungyin River, linking Myawady Township of Kayin State with Mae Sot district of Tak Province on October 30, 2019. The opening of the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge is expected to boost cross-border trade as all goods transport routes will be diverted to this new route in the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC), said Suchat Triratwatthana, a businessman and adviser to Tak’s chamber of commerce.

The EWEC is also known as the R9 route that serves Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar. The transport of goods on all other border routes through Myanmar to a third country will likely be diverted to this new route and through the Mae Sot-Myawaddy customs checkpoint. This new route is now the fastest and most convenient way to access prominent cities in Myanmar. The bridge and customs checkpoint are set to be open every day from 5.30am until 8.30pm, but local businesses are calling for that time to be extended until midnight.

Sanit Thongma, director of the 2nd Tak Highway District in Mae Sot, previously issued a notice stating that from Thursday, mid-sized buses, large coaches, and lorries with more than six wheels will be required to use the new bridge. Small four-wheeled trucks, personal cars and passenger vans will be required to cross the border through the first Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge.

Source: Bangkok Post

Myanmar’s Yangon Bus Service (YBS) will implement a card payment system to replace the present cash box system to facilitate passengers in taking buses by the end of this year. According to the Yangon Region Transport Authority, more than 1,500 buses will get the e-ticketing machines in the initial stage. The Asia Starmar Transport Intelligent Company, which is the tender winner for taking up the project, will start the trial run services by November or December once the imported machines of the system arrived in Yangon.

The transport authorities have invited local and foreign joint-venture companies to bid for tender for operating related card payment services since last year that include card issuing, card acquiring and card top-up agency. Aimed at enhancing better transport service and reducing traffic congestion, the regional government introduced the new Yangon Bus Service (YBS) system in January 2018, under which the number of bus lines was initially cut from more than 300 to 70 to solve the traffic jam problem.

There are at present more than 100 bus lines running by the newly-established YBS with over 5,000 buses serving over two million passengers daily. Meanwhile, the Yangon Region Road Transport Administration has also de-registered over 2,000 outdated public transport vehicles, removing them from running in the former capital for the purpose of safety and environmental conservation.

Source: Xinhua

Buranin Rattanasombat, executive vice-president of planning at Thailand’s PTT Oil and Retail Business (PTTOR), revealed that the company is planning to expand its markets in neighbouring countries as part of its overseas business strategy. As of June, PTTOR had 281 PTT stations in Cambodia, Laos and Philippines. The first PTT station in Myanmar is slated to open before the second quarter of next year, 2020.

PTTOR had received approval from the Myanmar government for a joint venture project with local partners to build an LPG and oil reserve facility in Myanmar. PTTOR will be working with Myanmar’s biggest private conglomerate, Kanbawza KBZ Group, to build a comprehensive oil and gas facility complete with storage depot, logistics port and gas packing factory. When completed, it will be the biggest oil and gas reserve in Myanmar, with a storage capacity of one million barrels of oil and 4,500 tonnes of LPG.

The construction of reserve facility is expected to be completed within a year, while a PTT petrol station usually takes four to six months to build. The facility is located in Yangon and is connected to a comprehensive logistics network nationwide. Since Myanmar has no oil refinery, the project is expected to serve as a fuel storage centre to handle the delivery and quality control of PTT products that will come by sea from Singapore and by land from Thailand.

Source: The Nation (Thailand) 

A train with container coaches started operating from 3 October between the Myanmar International Terminal Thilawa (MITT) Port in Thilawa, Thanlyin Township and Yayni station in Yedashe Township, Bago Region, according to Myanma Railways (MR).

The container train started operations under a contract between MR and Best Eternity Recycle Pulp and Paper Co Ltd. The distance between the MITT jetty and Yayni station is 215.75 miles. The container train has 27 coaches, and shipment from the MITT Port near Thilawa station is loaded directly onto the container coaches. The train has a 200-horsepower engine. Each car can accommodate a load of 1,400 tons, according to MR.

Recently, two dry ports were opened on MR-owned land at Ywarthargi in Dagon East Township in order to transport containers by train between Yangon and Mandalay. The two dry ports were constructed on MR land by KM Terminal and Logistics Limited and Resource Group Logistics Co Ltd under a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) agreement. Each dry port was constructed on a 40-acre plot of land. Construction began on October, 2017 and the ports were opened on 11 November, 2018.

Source: Global New Light of Myanmar

Myanmar and Thailand have published their nine-point agreement to push through the implementation of the long-delayed US$8-billion (12.23-trillion-kyat) Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in southern Myanmar’s Tanintharyi Region, which is set to be Southeast Asia’s largest industrial complex.

The agreement included plans for a two-lane highway to the Htee Kee border through Myittar to enable the site’s construction. Both sides decided to invite third-party investment for the final implementation of the SEZ and to supply the electricity. The Union Parliament in March 2018 approved a 4.5-billion baht (US$137-million or 220.5-billion-kyat) low-interest loan from Thailand’s Neighboring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency (NEDA) for the highway. The ground construction work is expected to begin in 2020.

Italian-Thai Development PCL (ITD) was initially granted a 75-year concession to develop and attract investment in 2008 with completion due in 2015. Financial constraints saw ITD withdraw in 2013 but two years later both countries agreed to allow ITD and other companies to develop a site of up to 27 square kilometers. The initial phase, including an industrial estate, power plants, a small port and an LNG terminal, was granted to a consortium led by ITD in March 2016.

Source: the Irrawaddy

The Road Transport Administration Department (RTAD), under the Ministry of Transport and Communications, will release some announcements beginning 1 October with respect to a permanent ban on vehicle modifications and issuance of Form D slips to owners of modified vehicles so they can import vehicles in place of the old, de-registered vehicles, according to the director of RTAD.

Vehicle modification is not allowed under the vehicle law. Modification refers to changing the body of vehicles which are to be registered. Under the law, requests for registering such vehicles are rejected. Severe actions include de-registration and cancellation of number plates of modified vehicles.

The department has already asked the vehicle owners to get in touch with it. If modified vehicles are found, Form D slips will be issued after de-registration. According to official statistics from the RTAD, the department has found 362 modified vehicles. Currently, more than 1.09 million vehicles are registered across the country, and over 540,000, or half of them are registered in Yangon.

Source: Global New Light of Myanmar 

A bulk terminal at Thilawa Special Economic Zone in southern Yangon was opened on 7th September offering the handling of the bulk cargoes (grain, feed, Agri inputs, construction materials and other any possible bulk cargoes) in Thilawa port area. The International Bulk Terminal (Thilawa) (IBTT) is a joint venture between Lluvia Limited (joint venture with Mitsubishi Corporation and Capital Diamond Star Group CDSG), Kamigumi Co Ltd and JOIN Corporation, and provides services for cargo handling such as stevedoring, loading, discharging, storage, bagging, and fumigation for the handling cargoes.

IBTT will aim to serve the Development of Myanmar’s food industry by providing 24/7 services. It has a jetty 230 meters in length, 25 metres in width, with a 11-metre draft, which has a IBTT opens bulk terminal to provide port services designed capacity to accommodate vessels up to 200 metres LOA and 60,000 DWT (Dead Weight Tonnage). For storage, IBTT boasts a silo capacity of total 40,000 Metric Ton, and a 5,400 square metre warehouse (which roughly equates to about 20,000 Metric Ton for feed material. Soya Bean Meal).

IBTT, which has started operation in May this year, has already completed the discharging of three wheat flour vessels of 20,000-25,000 Metric Ton, with total volume of 70,000 Metric Ton. The discharge of each of these vessels completed within less than 5 days of operation. IBTT is planning to handle more varieties of bulk cargoes with efficient and higher quality services, to contribute towards Myanmar’s economic growth.

Source: Global New Light of Myanmar