He continued by saying the study will be jointly conducted by Laos and Thailand. He noted that Thailand was employing consultants attached to Chulalongkorn University to analyse the pros and cons of launching the service. Director Souksavat says the survey team has a deadline of the end of the year to finish their analysis.
He explained the team needed to measure the speed of the Mekong’s flow and make sure the river was deep enough to accommodate ferries. Another factor to consider is if the river is navigable all year round as there are now dams upstream.
If the service actually comes to fruition, ferries will ply a route between Laos’s UNESCO listed heritage town of Luang Prabang and Chiang Khan in Thailand’s Loei Province. The distance along the Mekong River is 290kms and this compares favourably with the more than 400km journey by road.
A long-established ferry route downstream from Huay Xai to Pak Beng and Luang Prabang is popular. Many travellers who have taken one of these ferries have rated it as one of the great Asian journeys.
Feasibility study for launch of Luang Prabang Loei ferries
News in Asia
Laos’s national transport division has announced experts will conduct a survey into the viability of launching a new Mekong riverboat service. Transport Department senior director Bounkhong Souksavat said the study will analyse whether ferries linking Luang Prabang and Loei will benefit tourism and riverside communities.