Stricter rules on unclaimed consignments at ports, says Liow
PORT KLANG: The Port Klang Authority has been told to take action against ship liners with unclaimed or abandoned consignments at the national port, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
The ministry is working on introducing more stringent rules to compel errant operators to take back unclaimed consignments or face penalties, he added.
“We need more stringent penalties and enforcement to control this problem at both Northport and Westport here.
“There are many loose ends that need to be tied up,” he added.
It was reported on Wednesday that millions of ringgit lost in storage and disposal costs were due to irresponsible parties making Malaysia their dumping ground for unwanted waste.
Over the years, hundreds of containers filled with plastic wastes and scrap tyres – some of which are contaminated – have been shipped here and left abandoned at Port Klang.
On the military radar equipment issue, Liow denied the cargo went missing. He said it had arrived safely in the Netherlands.
“Things are under our close supervision. I have also directed the Johor Port Authority to issue a statement to clarify this,” he said before opening the Klang MCA division annual general meeting yesterday.
As for the incident involving AirAsia X Flight D7237, Liow said the ministry and Department of Civil Aviation were working closely with the relevant Australian agencies to investigate the matter.
“On our part, we will be transparent in the investigation and reveal the findings to the public,” he said, adding that the investigation should be completed in “about a month or so”.
The flight from Perth to Kuala Lumpur was forced to turn back after the Airbus A330 carrying 359 passengers encountered technical difficulties shortly after take-off.