Best in the Asean region

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Samalaju Industrial Port is poised to double handling capacity, already offering one of the fastest services presently

Aerial view of Samalaju Industrial Port.

Dato Mohd Medan Abdullah

BINTULU: Samalaju Industrial Port is the most sophisticated port in Asean which also has one of the fastest handling facilities in the nation.

The RM1.8 billion port has been fully operational since April 22, a day after it received the occupation permit (OP) from Bintulu Development Authority (BDA), revealed Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad (BPHB) chief executive officer Dato Mohammad Medan Abdullah.

He said currently, each of the four conveyor lines could handle 1,000 tonnes of cargo per hour, making it one of the fastest handling ports in the country.

With the completion of the port and the commencement of Phase 1 since April 22 this year, Samalaju Industrial Port is now ready to handle higher volumes in terms of cargo tonnage and vessel calls, he added.

“This is the most sophisticated port in the Asean region with state-of-the-art facilities such as the conveyor handling system.

“And with the commencement of its full operations, Samalaju Industrial Port is firmly set to contribute a steady revenue to help recoup investments made and affirm the new port as an additional value generator for the group,” Medan told BAT 7 at his office here yesterday.

He said currently, each of the four conveyor lines could handle 1,000 tonnes of cargo per hour, making it one of the fastest handling ports in the country.

“Under phase 1, the port could handle seven big cargo ships at any one time and offers the users 18 million tonnes capacity per annum,” he said, adding that in future, depending on the needs, it could handle 14 big cargo ships at any one time.

Medan pointed out that the port was completed ahead of schedule and was well within the budget set by the government.

Samalaju Industrial Port is a purpose-built port to cater primarily to energy intensive industries located at Samalaju Industrial Park (SIP).

Meanwhile, Samalaju Industrial Port chief operating officer Matshalleh Mohamed Etli said currently the port has a

staff of 145 and is looking at the projected maximum of 300-strong workforce in the near future.

The cargo handled at the port includes alumina, ferrosilicon, coke/semi coke, manganese ore, metallurgical coke, silica quartz and anode carbon.

The Samalaju industrial Port is a subsidiary of BPHB, which is jointly owned by the state government (26.67 per cent), Petronas (28.52 per cent), Equisar Assets Sdn Bhd (13.04 per cent), Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (9.14 per cent) and the public (22.63 per cent). BPHB also owns Bintulu Port Sdn Bhd and Biport Bulkers Sdn Bhd.