SBR- Content.pmd - INBO

11 - Trade and transport6. Growth and composition of inland waterway vessel fleetsMuch of the available data on the growth and composition of the inland water transport vesselfleets of the LMB member countries were incomplete, inconsistent and unreliable. In Cambodia, inparticular, the lack of any central control over boat licensing, meant it was not possible to identifyin national statistics the fleets of small boats registered and licensed in the provinces. jNotwithstanding the data deficiencies, it was possible to develop a limited picture of fleet growthand composition in the four LMB member countries.At the end of 2000, the IWT fleet of Lao PDR totalled 1098 boats, of which 405 (37 percent) werecargo or multi-purpose boats and 693 (63 percent) were passenger-carrying boats. Over the pastfive years, there has been little change in the size of the overall fleet. More than two-thirds of thecargo-carrying fleet was comprised of boats with a deadweight tonnage of 10 or less, reflecting arequirement for the operation of small boats during the dry season, especially for the stretch of theriver between Vientiane and Luang Prabang. About half of the passenger boats had less than 16seats, but those with 16-50 seats accounted for nearly one third of the passenger-carrying fleet.The IWT fleet in the Thai portion of theLower Mekong Basin has been stable forthe past five years, numbering 110 vessels(55 passenger, 35 cargo and 20 multipurposepassenger and cargo vessels). Themajority of vessels are of less than 30 DWT,but several large flat-topped barges of 200-300 DWT operate as vehicle-carryingferries from Beung Karn, Nakhon Phanomand Mukdahan ports to Laotian ports acrossthe river. The relatively small size of theThai fleet reflects the negligible use of theriver for domestic transport.According to a study conducted in 2002, 37 percent ofriver traffic were cargo vessels and63 percent carried passengersIn Cambodia, the number of centrallyregisteredvessels as of 30 November 2001, totalled 593, including 127 dry cargo boats, 226 combinedpassenger/cargo and express boats, 24 tankers, 93 tugboats, 90 barges and pontoons, 8 ferries and25 service boats. It is understood that there has been little or no growth in this fleet over the pastfive years. No breakdown of this fleet by deadweight tonnage was available.As of 30 April 2002, the registered inland waterway fleet of the Mekong Delta in Viet Nam numbered57,791 vessels. This fleet was reported to have nearly doubled in size since 1997. k More than threequartersof the fleet comprised motorised or non-motorised barges of between 200-1500 DWT.Passenger vessels (licensed to carry 20-150 passengers), numbered 7,519 units, or 13 percent of theregistered fleet. Not included in the fleet data provided by the Viet Nam Inland WaterwaysAdministration were some 350,000 small “country” boats, mostly of 10-20 DWT, which operate onthe waterways of the Mekong Delta under private ownership. Details of this “country boat” fleetcould not be reported as registration processes are decentralised and it is understood that only 45percent of the fleet is, in fact, registered.jIn Cambodia, all boats except those with an engine power rating of more than 90 HP are inspected, registered andtaxed by the provinces in which they are based. Only the latter group is inspected, registered and taxed by the Ministryof Publics Works and Transport in Phnom Penh.k Source, Viet Nam Inland Waterways Administration (Southern Division), during MRC mission, April 2002.229