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UN/LOCODE THLCH · Thailand · IMO-designated crew-change hub
Laem Chabang is one of 115 ports named in IMO Circular MSC.1/Circ.1636 as a designated crew-change hub. Ports made the list on the basis of accessible international airports, established agent networks, welfare-centre infrastructure, and — during the pandemic — visa-facilitation frameworks that allowed sign-on and sign-off crew to transit without lengthy quarantine. That combination continues to make these ports the practical corridors most seafarers move through today.
Nearest major airport for crew changes is U-Tapao–Rayong–Pattaya International Airport (UTP), roughly 47 km from the port. Confirm the exact terminal handover point with the ship's agent — many hubs have multiple terminals with different immigration processes.
Laem Chabang, on Thailand's eastern seaboard, is Thailand's principal container port and one of South-East Asia's busiest. Shore leave is granted with a seaman's book + shore pass under the Thai port-call procedure (slightly more formal than Singapore or Malaysia). Welfare provision via Stella Maris Bangkok + Mission to Seafarers Laem Chabang.