Interview with
Ms. Amornrat Buason (Amy)
Managing Director
For starters, could you tell our readers about the history and origin of Royal Cargo Group?
Royal Cargo Inc. was established in 1978. We have over 40 years of experience in providing specialized logistics solutions. Our headquarters is based in the Philippines. We are present in twelve (12) other countries. This presence covers the world with a strong network of trusted agents across continents. We are the only multi-national logistics company based in the Philippines offering specialized, high quality logistics solutions and services, when you need it, where you need it.
When was the company in Thailand established? Also,Thailand has a huge number of freight forwarders. What makes you stand out in your own words?
Royal Cargo Thailand was established in 2014, with 3 offices – Rama IX head office, BKK airport and Laem Chabang office.
What makes us different is we are a group of professionals, committed to our customers and a mutual journey of growth and success, offering innovative, diversified solutions.
Thailand also has several ports. Many readers in both Africa and Latin America may not know about that. Could you elaborate a bit on the ports available in Thailand or the ones which are generally used for project cargo?
The main seaport for project cargo is Laem Chabang which currently has the capacity to handle 11 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers and 2 million vehicles annually. This port is fully equipped with a variety of advanced equipment to handle diverse cargo types and sizes. This includes remote-controlled, electric-powered ship-to-shore cranes and rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGCs), etc. The port is undergoing an expansion to increase its capacity to 18 million TEUs and 3 million vehicles per year.
Then, there is the Sattahip seaport which is located in the same area (60km away). This seaport has a container handling capacity of 1.1 million TEU annually. It covers an area of 436 acres and is strategically located in Sattahip District, Chon Buri Province, according to Siam Shipping. The port supports trade primarily with ASEAN countries, China, and Japan, and is particularly important for the Thai automobile industry.
Thailand has a strategic location. Can you also arrange inland transport to destinations in Thailand and Laos, Myanmar, etc? Could you provide us with some examples of cargo transported inland?
Definitely. Royal Cargo can provide transit services and on-carriage by air or road via Bangkok or Laem Chabang to Myanmar and Laos.
Is customs clearance in Thailand difficult? If cargo is destined for an inland destination or another landlocked country, where does customs clearance take place?
The customs procedure is the standard customs procedure, with customs data transmitted online. With well thought out preparation, customs clearance can be done in one working day.
As to the above question, we can either clear customs at Bangkok or Laem Chabang port.
You are no doubt aware that some shipping lines now wish and try to compete with the freight forwarders doing inland, warehouse, etc. Is that the situation in Thailand as well?
Yes, this is a worldwide situation, and it’s happening in Thailand as well as other countries.
I believe there will always be room for freight forwarders to serve our own specific group of clients, especially project cargo which requires special skills and expertise.
Our job is to provide the right services, i.e., specialized, high quality logistics solutions and services when and where it is needed.
We hear that customer service is sorely lacking with some shipping lines nowadays. What is your opinion on that?
That is why multi-national logistics providers like Royal Cargo still keep receiving continual support and can expand their group of bigger customers base. We provide the best services to fulfill customer satisfaction.
Whom should our readers contact at Royal Cargo for further information, rates and solutions in Thailand and beyond?
Kindly directly your contact to myself and our team as given below:
Ms. Amornrat Buason (Amy), Managing Director
Amornrat.Buason@royalcargo.com
+66 (2) 107 1081 local 101
+66 66 81 6231080 WhatsApp/ WeChat / Viber / Skype/Line
Ms. Punnawee Junpunyuwut (Koi), Operations Manager
punnawee.junpunyawut@royalcargo.com
+66 (2) 107 1081 local 113
+66 81 912 6562 WhatsApp/ Line
