The construction of Kampot province’s tourism seaport near Kampot city is behind schedule courtesy of a second delay attributable to the pandemic, says a report from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport. The report, obtained by Khmer Times yesterday, stated the construction is currently at 74 percent completion. It was originally scheduled to be finished and operational by the end of 2020. The deadline for completion had been reset for June this year. Because of the prolonged pandemic, that schedule has been reset once again, this time to 2022, according to the ministry’s report. The report also stated that construction had run into the rainy season. As a coastal province Kampot is subject to fierce storms and downpours. The ministry’s spokesman Vasim Sorya told Khmer Times, that the main factor for the project missing its completion target was largely down to a shortage of workers at the construction site. “In the pandemic context, the construction has been behind plan due to workers at the construction being reduced and this will result in another delay of the project,” said Sorya. The project is being built on four hectares of land located in Toek Chhou district, about six kilometres south of Kampot city. It was financed originally with a loan of $8 million from the Asian Development Bank. That loan was increased to $9 million as a result of additional infrastructure improvements to the port. Once completed, the port will be able to dock 300 to 400 passenger capacity ships and serve as a gateway for cruise ships connecting Thailand and Vietnam to Kampot as well as be an example of an infrastructure development project promoting sustainable growth in the Greater Mekong Sub-region.