IN Brief:
- DP World will continue operating Laem Chabang’s B5 berth under a five-year extension.
- LCIT handled a record 1.936m TEU in 2025.
- Further investment is planned in electric yard equipment, landside logistics, and rail-linked inland capacity.
DP World has secured a five-year concession extension to continue operating the B5 container berth at Laem Chabang Port, strengthening its position at Thailand’s principal deep-sea gateway as intra-Asian trade volumes rise.
The extension, granted through DP World’s joint venture Laem Chabang International Terminal Co., Ltd, runs from May 2026 to April 2031. LCIT operates both B5 and C3 berths at Laem Chabang, Thailand’s largest container hub and a critical export gateway for manufacturing, automotive, electronics, retail, and consumer goods supply chains.
The terminal infrastructure can accommodate up to four vessels simultaneously across 900 metres of berth length. It is also supported by 4,420 sq m of on-dock container freight station facilities, giving shippers additional cargo-handling flexibility at one of Southeast Asia’s most important maritime nodes.
LCIT handled a record 1.936m TEU in 2025, its highest annual throughput to date. The concession extension gives DP World a longer investment runway for efficiency, sustainability, and hinterland connectivity, all of which are becoming central to port competitiveness as Southeast Asian trade flows expand.
Southeast Asia continues to benefit from supply chain diversification as manufacturers reduce single-country exposure and build additional capacity across Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and surrounding markets. Factory location decisions also alter port demand, customs flows, trucking corridors, container repositioning requirements, and inland distribution networks.
Laem Chabang sits at the centre of that shift because Thailand remains a major manufacturing and export platform. Automotive components, finished vehicles, electronics, industrial goods, food products, and retail inventory all depend on reliable container capacity through the port. Continuity at the terminal gives carriers and shippers greater certainty around one of the region’s key gateways.
DP World has already begun electrifying parts of the LCIT yard operation. Five electric internal transfer vehicles were deployed in 2025, reducing emissions by around 60% compared with diesel alternatives. Further upgrades planned for 2026 include additional electric transfer vehicles, electric reach stackers, and an electric empty container handler.
Ports are being asked to improve throughput while reducing local emissions, fuel exposure, and noise. Electrified equipment supports those goals, although it also changes site requirements around charging, maintenance skills, power availability, and asset scheduling. Yard electrification is therefore as much an infrastructure programme as an equipment change.
The Laem Chabang extension also connects to DP World’s wider Thai logistics network. The company has cross-border trucking, landside logistics, freight forwarding, and a recently launched rail-connected inland container yard in Khon Kaen. The inland site includes a thrice-weekly rail shuttle to Laem Chabang, improving access for exporters in Thailand’s north-east.
Port performance is increasingly judged beyond the berth. Congestion, truck availability, inland dwell time, and empty container access can quickly offset gains made at the quay. Marine terminals that combine handling capacity with inland services are better positioned to manage volatility and provide shippers with more predictable planning options.
The renewed concession keeps DP World embedded in a market where infrastructure, trade policy, manufacturing shifts, and decarbonisation are moving together. Thailand’s logistics system now has to convert rising container demand into dependable service. At Laem Chabang, that means more than lifting boxes quickly; it means linking port operations, inland freight, power infrastructure, and terminal investment into a network that can support the next phase of regional manufacturing growth.