Cambodia continues work on waterway infrastructure rules

June meetings focused on consultation and impact review

A stakeholder consultation was held on 3 June 2026, followed by a broader inter-agency discussion on 5 June. Officials and sector representatives reviewed the draft's chapters and articles and gathered input for a preliminary assessment of its effects.

Government material from that process says the draft is based on Cambodia's 2024 Law on Waterway Transport. The June notices, however, did not establish a new set of binding permits, fees or operating duties. They described a proposal still moving through consultation.

For practical context, see Cambodia market and country comparisons. This development also connects with Cambodia tyre exports hit $1.72bn in first nine months of 2026.

September talks show the drafting process was still active

On 2 September, MPWT officials met with the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology to work through the draft article by article, including provisions dealing with the respective responsibilities of the two ministries.

A further technical meeting with the Ministry of Mines and Energy followed on 3 September. The September material continued to call the instrument a draft being finalised. The sources reviewed for this article do not confirm that the sub-decree had been promulgated or brought into force after those meetings.

For port operators, shipping companies, logistics providers and investors, the practical issue is how the eventual text allocates authority and turns broad infrastructure goals into specific administrative requirements. Those details could affect the planning, construction, operation, maintenance or protection of particular waterway assets.

Until an adopted text is published, businesses should not treat possible future procedures or costs as existing legal requirements. At the same time, projects with long development cycles may need to monitor the final version because a change in agency responsibility or infrastructure standards could alter later-stage approvals and project planning.