| Location | Yangon river |
| Project | Dredging to maintain the designated draft in the inner and outer bars of the Yangon River, which is a major obstacle in the Yangon River channel |
| Start Date of Project | 12-3-2018 |
| Implementing Parties | Starhigh Asia Pacific Pte Ltd |
Navigation Channel and ports are a natural heritage but can only be fully utilized if combined with maintenance. Yangon Port is located on the Yangon River and is international port and handles 90 % of international maritime trade.
As an international port, dredging is a challenge to maintain the Controlling Depth for seagoing vessels. Failure to provide submarine guarantees for incoming vessels may result in disruption of cargo and the port will be liable under international law. To overcome this challenge, a plan is being drawn up to maintain the designated draft in the inner and outer bars of the Yangon River, which is a major obstacle in the Yangon River channel.
Maintenance dredging was possible due to the abundance of shallow water and sand dunes, high settlement rate and in Yangon River previously. However, after 2016, the changes in the river and the embankment worsened due to climate change so it was necessary to maintain the navigation channel for a long time. In accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, five-year Dredging project was invited by the state-owned newspaper on 16-9-2016 and selected Starhigh Asia Pacific Pte Ltd by the Tender Committee as the Preferred Bidder, was approved by the Cabinet Meeting No. 2/2018 and the project started on 12.3.2018. Now is the time to end the second year and begin the third year.
The socio-economic development of a country depends on transportation system. Among land, maritime and air transportation system, maritime transport is the most economically viable system and the development of maritime transport can gain access to domestic and foreign markets and greatly contribute to the development of national interests. In addition, the cargo handling volume and port capacity will increase due to Yangon River channel improve and increasing of port fees and state taxes will help increase national income.