Support for Kuching Port expansion
KUCHING: The Ministry of Transport fully supports the state government’s initiative to continue expanding Kuching Port so that it can handle larger vessels and provide better service.
Its minister Dato Sri Liow Tiong Lai informed that towards this purpose, RM400 million had been approved and allocated for dredging works to deepen the river so that bigger vessels can enter the port.
“This is something we are looking forward to, to strengthen the port for greater economic activities,” he said.
Liow highlighted this after paying a courtesy call on Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg at his office in Wisma Bapa Malaysia here yesterday. More importantly, he added, Kuching Port was one of the three ports in Malaysia to have been included in the MalaysiaChina Port Alliance recently.
“The alliance will now comprise nine ports from Malaysia and 12 ports from China compared to six from Malaysia and ten from China before this,” he elaborated.
The additional three ports from Malaysia are Sabah’s Sepanggar Port, Sarawak’s Kuching Port and Kemaman Port in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
“With this Port Alliance working together, we will be able to develop the economic activities which will also involve China’s Belt and Road Initiative,” he said.
“Collaborations and cooperations then will be more formalised and this will in turn bring benefits to the economies of both countries – Malaysia and China,” he added. Liow pointed out that these were among the developments in the transport sector which he and Abang Johari discussed during their meeting.
“We have a lot to discuss on state development in the transport sector, especially the development of Kuching Port, Mukah Airport, Miri Airport and many more aspects, which we have to work between the federal and state government,” he said. “Today (yesterday), I gave a long explanation to the Chief Minister where I also stressed on the importance of the Belt and Road Initiative and also the expansion of Kuching Port,” he added.