Cambodia resumes sand exports to Singapore after nine-year ban — Mongabay
Cambodia has resumed exporting natural sand by sea to Singapore after a nine-year ban: from June to September 2026, the country shipped 694,000 tonnes worth $3.47 million. Mongabay reports, citing Cambodian international trade statistics.
Extraction is taking place on the Trapeang Rung River in Koh Kong province, about 10 km upstream from the fishing village of Koh Sralau. Provincial authorities said they had authorized Catalyst Marine and Resources to extract sand for export to Singapore. The outlet's journalists documented sand being loaded onto barges and transferred at sea to the vessels Swan and PVT Coral, which were headed for Singapore's Tuas port.
Fishers complain of losing access
Residents of Koh Sralau, where about 300 families depend on catching crabs, fish and shellfish, say the work has already made it harder for them to access fishing grounds. A fisher identified in the report as Rithy said he cannot reach part of the river because of the risk of damaging his nets, and that his catch has declined since extraction began.
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Fishers also express concerns about the long-term effects of dredging on their livelihoods. One resident reported oil slicks in the water. An environmentalist working in Cambodia who wished to remain anonymous believes the work could damage seagrass beds and the sandy bottom, which provide habitat and breeding grounds for aquatic species.
Risks to protected areas
The Trapeang Rung River flows through four protected areas in the Cardamom Mountains, while the boundary of the Koh Kapik Ramsar site lies 3 km downstream from the extraction site. According to a conservationist interviewed by Mongabay, the estuary is home, among other species, to the Irrawaddy dolphin, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, fishing cat and hairy-nosed otter. A 2023 study recorded more than 70 fish species in local waters and more than 700 unique species in the connected mangrove forests.
In 2017, Cambodia's government banned sand trade after extensive dredging in estuaries. Cambodia's and Singapore's ministries, as well as representatives of Catalyst Marine and Resources, did not respond to Mongabay's requests about the current operations. Singaporean statistics on sand imports from Cambodia for the same period were unavailable to the outlet.
