Gov’t not preventing foreign ships from berthing in Sabah, Sarawak ports

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KUALA LUMPUR: The government does not restrict foreign ships from berthing and unloading cargo and containers at Sabah and Sarawak ports as long as the process adheres to the existing shipping and maritime law.

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri told the Dewan Rakyat today that claims that the government was preventing foreign merchant ships from bringing cargo and containers into the ports of Sabah and Sarawak were untrue and baseless.

“The same applies for ships bringing cargo and containers from Sabah and Sarawak ports to the peninsula,” he added in reply to a question from Dr Hiew King Cheu (DAP-Kota Kinabalu).

Abdul Rahim explained that in 2009, the government had liberalised the unloading procedure whereby foreign merchant ships berthing in Malaysian ports including Klang Port could straight away unload their cargo and containers in the docks.

However, he said, cargo and containers to be brought from one port to another in Malaysia must use ships that were in this country and possess a valid Domestic Shipping Licence (DSL).

“We implement this measure to give priority to the domestic shipping so as to support it and to ensure that local ships dominate our waters.

“If this is not done (imposing possession of DSL), the domestic shipping industry might be adversely affected if owners of the foreign ships create cartels and dominate our waters,” he said. – Bernama