To ease and expedite cargo handling, the port is also equipped with a reach stacker (a vehicle used for handling intermodal cargo containers in small terminals or medium-sized ports).
LABUAN: It may be small, but the Labuan Liberty Port played a major role in the heydays of the oil and gas (O&G) sector of Malaysia’s International Financial Centre (IFC) here.
The port is managed by the long-serving operator, Labuan Liberty Port Management Sdn Bhd (LLPM).
With as many as seven warehouses, more than 30 long-haul trailers (including the outsources), coupled with a trained workforce of 130 personnel, the operator has managed to take care of domestic and international vessels, including the backend support.
To ease and expedite cargo handling, the port is also equipped with a reach stacker (a vehicle used for handling intermodal cargo containers in small terminals or medium-sized ports).
Reach stackers are able to transport a container over short distances very quickly and pile them in various rows depending on its access.
In an interview with Bernama, LLPM corporate director Zaid Zain said the operations and management were being undertaken without having to rely on government funds, while millions of ringgit had been invested to turn it into a capable facility in the interest of the country’s image.
“Many people are unaware of the fact that Labuan Liberty Port is the only port here that can provide containerised cargoes, and this is partly the result of an in-house developed container tracking system by the LLPM,” the spokesman said.
He said the operator had taken care of the port since 1998 by deputing an adequate number of trained personnel and deploying the relevant infrastructure for the backend support.
“In terms of security, although Labuan Port has not been regulated by any government regulatory body. Since the Labuan liberty wharf was turned into a port over two decades ago, it has been well guarded by the LLPM’s Royal Malaysian Police trained auxiliary policemen,” Zain added.
He said the operator had taken a holistic approach towards guarding the yards and warehouses from any intrusion, as almost 90 per cent of the cargo at the port is owned by international O&G related companies like Schlumberger and Halliburton.
“LLPM’s handling of the port has resulted in it being given the ISO 9000-11 accreditation on Cargo Management,” Zaid added.
On the recent recent decision of the newly-established Labuan Port Authority (LPA) to tender out the port operations and management that has sparked criticism among the island’s Chambers of Commerce, Zain said, LLPM was of the view, it should be allowed to run the port for a “probationary period” with certain Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). — Bernama