Two public marinas incurred losses of RM62m

KUALA LUMPUR: As much as RM61.55 million in losses were incurred when two marinas built by the previous government ended up not in operation after completion, said the Auditor General’s 2017 Report.

According to the report, the Kuala Kedah marina had not been in operation since it was completed in 2003, while the Pulau Mentagor marina in Perak had not recorded the arrival of any yacht since it began operations in 2010.

Two other public marinas in Muar, Johor and Tanjong City Marina in Penang had stopped operations after serious faults were discovered in the structure of the pontoons, while the Tanjung Gemok marina in Pahang, which had stopped operations, has been handed over to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

These marinas are among 11 marina projects under the Eighth and Ninth Malaysia Plans with a total cost of RM323.16 million.

The report said weaknesses in the planning of infrastructure for recreational ship landings were among reasons for the failure to achieve the goals of building public marinas.

It said a lack of promotions resulted in the public marinas not becoming known to the international sailing community.

The audit team urged the Transport Ministry, the Penang Port Commission and the Marine Department of Malaysia to set up an Internal Investigations Department to investigate the issues.

These three bodies should study and decide on the direction of public marinas and plan the sources of income, human resources, maintenance and promotional activities.