Mekong River in Cambodia
Stretch 12: Kratie to Kompong Cham (114 km)
Downstream from Kratie up to Kompong Cham, the river is wide, has a gentle flow, and is relatively deep. Kratie port is at Km 560.7 on the left bank (steel floating pontoon port connected with concrete stairs up the slope). Some 12 sandy shallow areas (water depth less than 2.0 m) are making navigation difficult during the dry season.
However, a lot of precaution has to be taken in the interpretation of the thalweg and hence the Least Available Depth (LAD). It sounds very suspicious that the LAD between Kratie and Kampong Cham should be – 0.5 m or – 0.6 m. In any case, more soundings are needed in such areas, not only for defining the LAD but also for designing a waterway channel either by dredging or by river training works.
The stretch Kratie-Kompong Cham, apart from these shallows, does not show any particular obstacle to the design of a commercial navigation channel. From Kratie on and further downstream in Kompong Cham towards the sea, the riverbed is moveable (non-cohesive material) and consists of silt, sand, coarse sand or gravel.
Source: Design of a Master Plan for Regional Waterborne Transport in the Mekong River Basin, Volume I, Page 34, 35