Mr. Chaiwat Thongkum, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, revealed during the closing ceremony of the Sustainable Freight and Logistics Project in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) that Thailand has collaborated with the German International Cooperation (GIZ) and the European Union (EU) to develop commercial transportation in the GMS, which includes five countries: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar. The focus is particularly on green logistics for freight transport to ensure energy-efficient trucking. This involves developing a curriculum for energy-efficient and safe driving, especially for trucks transporting hazardous materials, which must prioritize safety.

 

Additionally, representatives from the five countries were invited to summarize their joint efforts, similar to the collaborative regulations in Europe, such as those in Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. Thailand and its neighboring countries have only recently begun to establish common regulations, making mutual understanding essential. Nevertheless, the goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector by 20% by 2020, particularly by encouraging trucks to drive more efficiently and avoid exceeding their load capacity. The government has implemented regulations to control this, and the private sector must comply to reduce transportation costs.

 

Mr. Pierga Tappiola, the European Union Ambassador to Thailand, stated that past efforts have shown that GMS countries involved have managed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and oil consumption by an average of 16.86%, equating to 7.4 liters per 100 km. Economically, this has resulted in a cost reduction for each operator of approximately 163,000 baht over an average distance of 100,000 km per year. The average reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is about 169,808 grams of carbon dioxide per year (gCO₂). Among the countries, Laos has achieved the highest reduction in energy consumption and emissions at 28.18%, followed by Cambodia at 16.76%, Myanmar at 13.25%, Thailand at 12.90%, and Vietnam at 11.41%.

Mr. Pierga further noted that the GMS region has a high proportion of freight transport by truck, accounting for 70%-80% of all transportation modes. Therefore, this project focuses on assisting small operators in reducing transportation costs while simultaneously decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. To date, it has supported over 500 SMEs with funding from the EU's SWITCH Asia fund.

 

Furthermore, this initiative supports the GMS countries' ministries of transport in improving and amending laws regarding the transportation of hazardous goods. Currently, Thailand is in the process of enacting control legislation, while Myanmar has issued six related announcements. Vietnam is amending its regulations, and Cambodia has proposed six articles of law for government approval for implementation.

 

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