Expansion project set to turn Bintulu Port into regional transhipment hub

BINTULU: The Bintulu Port is on track to become the transhipment hub in this region with its second basin expansion.

According to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, the port here is already acknowledged as the world’s second largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal.

“The world is getting closer and smaller and as such, we need more efficient ports. In this respect, we are confident that Bintulu Port can become a very efficient port because we have good infrastructures here,” he told reporters after having conducted an official working visit to the port at Tanjung Kidurong here on Friday.

On the second inner harbour basin expansion focusing on the integrated oil and gas supply facility, Liow said the job would be handled by Bintulu Supply Base Sdn Bhd.

“The federal government is giving its full support to this partnership and we hope they can actually pull in a lot of supply base businesses to Bintulu. I also hope that this can generate more economic growth in Bintulu – and Sarawak, in general.”

The first phase of the Bintulu Integrated Oil and Gas Supply Base Complex project will commence next year, and is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2019.

The facility will have a 14m water draft and 2,300m berthing to provide the logistics and also to serve as a hub to support all future oil and gas activities in the state.

Its principal activity is to provide support services to oil and gas operating companies in Sarawak’s offshore field. These services include the provision of office space, manpower and supplies apart from catering for all oil and gas exploration, production, operations and decommissioning support activities in the state’s waters.

Adding on, Liow also encouraged Bintulu Port Authority to focus also on container activities towards transforming the facility into a regional hub for ports.

He said the Bintulu Port Authority had strategic plans and good partnership with Petronas in ensuring that the oil and gas industry here would be further developed.

“This good cooperation has resulted in a positive and lucrative outcome for Bintulu Port Authority, and also for the people in the country. We will continue to support port development projects in Sarawak,” he added.

Earlier, Liow and his wife Datin Sri Lee Sun Loo were briefed about Bintulu Port’s operations by Bintulu Port Authority general manager Dato Hamdan Abdul Hamid.

Those present included Transport Ministry secretarygeneral Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim, Road Transport Department (JPJ) director general Dato Nadzri Siron and state JPJ director Dato Ibrahim Othman, Bintulu Port Authority deputy chairman Dato Chew Kok Woh and its board of directors Dato Ab Rahman Mat, Dato Baharin Dato Abdul Hamid and Pang Leong Ming.