Sarawak to establish central authority to manage all ports in state

SIBU: The Sarawak government will establish a central port authority to manage all ports in the state, says Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.

He adds that among the ports to be managed by the central authority will be the Kuching Port, Miri Port, Tanjung Manis Port, Sibu Port, and the Bintulu Port, which would change status from federal to state port.

“This will give impact to the economic development which is happening in Sarawak, as well as to the country’s economy, as a whole.

“Because we export a lot of source materials and under Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, we are developing renewable energy and definitely, all these ports will play a role,” he spoke at a press conference after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Bintulu Port’s status change in Putrajaya yesterday.

Adding on, Abang Johari said the technical matters would be left to the respective committee between the two governments to discuss.

“And we hope before the end of 2024, this matter would be settled and (Bintulu Port) managed by Sarawak,” he said.

Asked if the Sarawak government has any plan to further expand Bintulu Port after takeover, Abang Johari said this would be in line with the PCDS 2030 as the state was currently developing its sustainable energy industry such as hydrogen.

“And hydrogen utilises specialised terminals and this will definitely become among the developments that we have to implement in the Bintulu area.

“From the aspect of cargo, definitely, it will increase from the aspect of export, and I am confident with the management under the state government, we can align all our export sources to strategic ports.

“And Bintulu Port is a strategic port. If we study the traffic flow between west and east, we are confident it will give impact not only for Sarawak but the country as a whole.

“Because I feel that future development, we will depend on green energy and we concentrate on green energy – that will allow investors to come for green products. This is in line with what is happening across the world,” he said.

Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, also Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development, and Ministry for Infrastructure and Port Development permanent secretary Datu Chiew Chee Yau, represented Sarawak in the signing of the MoU, while federal Transport Minister Anthony Loke and its chief secretary Dato Jana Santhiran Munayan represented the federal government.

The ceremony was also witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his deputy Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusoff.