PUTRAJAYA, March 22 – Sarawak will establish a port centre, called the Central Port Authority, which will manage all ports in the state, including the ports of Kuching, Miri, Tanjung Manis, Sibu and Bintulu, said Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said the centre will have an impact on the ongoing economic development in Sarawak, and indirectly on the Malaysian economy as a whole.
“Sarawak is an exporter of many resources and under the PCDS (post-COVID-19 development strategy) it is developing a renewable industry which is energy.
“All these ports will play an important role. At the moment, we are developing relatively new industries such as hydrogen and this industry requires a specialised terminal and will be the focus of development in the Bintulu area,” he said on Friday.
Abang Johari said this after a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony to change the status of Bintulu Port to the Sarawak State Port, which is expected to be completed this year.
The MoU was signed between Transport Minister Anthony Loke and Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is also the state’s Infrastructure and Port Development Minister.
Abang Johari also said that cargoes at Sarawak ports are expected to increase, in line with the increase in exports of green energy products.
“From the cargo point of view, it will increase and I am confident that with the management under the Sarawak government, we will be able to coordinate all our export sources to strategic ports.
“Bintulu port is a strategic port if we study the traffic flow between west and east, and we are confident that it will have an impact not only for Sarawak but for Malaysia.
“The world’s future development relies on green energy. Our focus on green energy can attract investors interested in eco-friendly products, aligning with the worldwide trend,” he said.
Abang Johari also expressed his appreciation to the federal government for its commitment to changing the status of Bintulu Port to the Sarawak State Port.
