Thailand Considers Limiting Import Gateway for Certain Chemicals in Transit to Laem Chabang Port 
On February 2, 2026, Thailand’s Ministry of Industry released a draft ministerial notification titled:
“Draft Notification of the Ministry of Industry: Designation of a Specific Management Gate (Single Gateway) for the Import of Hazardous Substances under the Responsibility of the Department of Industrial Works for Transit Purposes.”
The Ministry has opened a public consultation period of two weeks, until February 16, 2026.
Overview of the Proposal
The draft notification aims to centralize and strictly control the importation of certain hazardous chemicals that are:
- Imported from outside Thailand, and
- Transiting through Thailand for re-export to neighboring countries such as Myanmar and Laos.
Under the proposal, the port of entry for these chemicals would be restricted exclusively to Laem Chabang Port, establishing a Single Gateway system for monitoring and enforcement. The measure is intended to prevent the diversion of chemicals for illegal drug manufacturing outside Thailand by strengthening oversight of high-risk substances during transit. The following hazardous substances (as listed in Hazardous Substances List 5.1) are proposed to be subject to the Single Gateway requirement:
| No. | Chemical name |
|---|---|
| 48 | sulfuric acid more than 50% by weight |
| 49 | sulfuric acid, fuming or oleum more than 50% by weight |
| 61 | o-phosphoric acid more than 25% by weight |
| 63 | acetic acid more than 80% by weight |
| 64 | hydrochloric acid more than 15% by weight |
| 82 | chloroform |
| 147 | sodium cyanide |
| 183 | ethyl ether, ethyl oxide, ether, diethyl ether |
| 214 | toluene more than 75% by weight |
| 246 | benzyl chloride |
| 247 | benzyl cyanide |
| 292 | piperidine |
| 299 | phosphorus (red) |
| 301 | phosphorus trichloride |
| 302 | phosphorus pentachloride |
| 328 | methyl ethyl ketone more than 50% by weight |
| 333 | methylene chloride or dichloromethane |
| 367 | acetone more than 75% by weight |
Note:
The reference numbers correspond to entries in Hazardous Substances List 5.1.
The full text of the draft notification and related materials are available at:
https://law.go.th/listeningDetail?survey_id=NjUwN0RHQV9MQVdfRlJPTlRFTkQ=
