The Ministry of Public Works and Transport and China Yunnan Sunny Road and Bridge Company (YSRBC) signed a MOU to conduct a feasibility study of the Vientiane-Pakxe Expressway, Section: I from Pakxan district in Borikhamxay province to Thakhek district in Khammuan province over 164 km.

The document was signed on Tuesday by the ministry’s Road Department Director General Pheng Douangngeun and YSRBC’s Deputy General Manager Liu Faliang.

YRSBS is scheduled to begin work soon and will spend one year on the assignments after signing a contract with the ministry, the expressway project’s Coordinator Bounyavath |Nilaxay said during the signing ceremony.

After completing a survey and feasibility study by the company, Bounyavath stated that the government will allow them to invest in construction of the expressway, which will be a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) concession.

“The construction of the expressway is a priority pilot project of the government and it will attract more foreign investment and tourists to the country upon its completion,” Bounyavath said.

Liu said the construction of the new expressway will help develop the socio-economic growth of Laos and will assist the nation to connect with regional countries with the aim of turning the land-locked country into a hub of connection.

The expressway will be crucial to reducing traffic congestion and enabling faster and more efficient transport of goods and people. It will generate income for the country and benefit the local area in particular by helping to attract foreign investors to the region.

The road will be built to specifications laid down under Asean Expressway Standard Grade 1 and will be able to carry loads of up to 11 tonnes per axle.

The construction of the new expressway will be along National Road No 13 South and is being considered due to the growth of transportation moving between the central and southern parts of the country and also to boost economic growth in |Laos as well as other Asean member countries.

The 585-km expressway from the Vientiane to southern Champassak province will have four lanes, with a total carriageway width of 23 metres. – The Vientiane Times

Colombo Port records second highest growth

Among container Ports worldwide, Colombo’s growth rate is second only to the Port of Singapore.

The Port of Colombo recorded a 16.2 per cent growth in the first quarter of this year in comparison to the corresponding period last year , according to Alphaliner Monthly 2018.

Among container Ports worldwide, Colombo’s Growth rate is second only to the Port of Singapore which has recorded 16.5 per cent growth over 2017. It is also a very significant achievement when compared against Port of Colombo 2017 figures with 8.3 per cent growth of 2017 against |2016.

With this growth, the Port of Colombo has leaped ahead of many other major Asian and European ports and Dubai as well.

According to Alphaliner global port rankings the top growth rates in numerical order are Singapore ( 16.5 per cent ) , Port of Colombo ( 16.2 per cent) , Port of Xiamen , China (11.6 per cent) Antwerp , Belgium (10.7 per cent ) and Ningbo –Zhoushan, China ( 10.4 per cent ). – The Island

Bank Negara adds Kazuki coin to alert list

Bank Negara Malaysia has added Kazuki Coin to its list of companies and websites which are neither authorised nor approved under the relevant laws and regulations administered by the central bank.

In a statement posted on its website, Bank Negara said Kazuki Coin is in the latest list of 419 companies.

A check on the Kazuki Coin facebook claims that is a new era crypto currency. It touts itself as the “best crypto coin”.

Kazuki Coin stated that all transactions, which are managed by Kazuki Management, are safe, secure and trustful.

It is alleged to have started trading early 2016 and it claims to have its own block chain. – The Star