RM61.5m loss from two unused marinas

KUALA LUMPUR: As much as RM61.55 million losses were incurred when two marinas built by the previous government did not operate after they were completed and were not used by yachtsmen, said the Auditor-General’s 2017 Report Series 1.

According to the report, the Kuala Kedah marina never operated since it was completed in 2003 while the Pulau Mentagor marina in Perak never 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 also stopped operations after serious faults occurred 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 public marinas are among 11 marina projects under the Eighth and Ninth Malaysia Plans with a total cost of RM323.16 million.

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

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

The audit team also urged the Transport Ministry, the Penang Port Commission and the Marine Department to set up an Internal Investigations Department to probe issues connected to negligence by civil servants.

They should also study and decide on the new direction of public marinas. – Bernama