Dredging of Sg Sarawak gets federal greenlight, confirms Masing
THE federal government has approved the dredging of Sungai Sarawak, of which the works will commence next year.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing said once completed, larger vessels including cruise ships would be able to berth at the Senari and Pending port terminals via the river.
“Most of our ports are riverine ports – shallow draughts with siltation as one of the major culprits that restrict larger vessels from accessing our ports, and this has hindered the growth and competiveness of these ports.
“With great pleasure, I take this opportunity to announce to the august House that the federal government has approved the dredging of Sungai Sarawak,” Masing, who is also the Infrastructure Development and Transportation Minister said in his winding-up speech at the sitting yesterday.
Most of our ports are riverine ports – shallow draughts with siltation as one of the major culprits that restrict larger vessels from accessing our ports, and this has hindered the growth and competiveness of these ports. Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing, Deputy Chief Minister
Masing also told the august House that there was a need for all the port authorities to work together in identifying each other’s strengths in order to complement each other.
For this purpose, a higher-level working committee would be required – comprising members of all port authorities, relevant business stakeholders and maritime industries – with the objective to collaborate, coordinate, promote and conduct appropriate observations to further improve the performance of the port industry, he explained.
Masing said apart from that, such platform would be able to provide feedback on existing ordinances and by-laws, as well as suggestions on outdated regulations, standardisation of ports work processes, rates and charges whenever and wherever necessary.
One of the areas that could be looked into, he pointed out, would be the collaborative marketing strategies in attracting more shipping lines to the shores of Sarawak towards ensuring that all port facilities would be maximised.
“I am confident that the platform would be the dawn of a new era for our ports, and bring much improvement to this industry.”
On the safety of river transportation, Masing said serious attention was being accorded to safety measures due to the high volume of users.
Basing on statistics from Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB), the minister said the number of passengers travelling on board registered boats recorded an increase rate of 7.5 per cent – from 2,663,483 in 2014 to 2,865,314 this year.