Kamarudin Jaafar (second left) hands over a copy of MIMA’s coffee table book to Maritim Malaysia Director General Datuk Seri Zulkifli Abu Bakar (yesterday). Also present are MIMA chairman Tan Sri Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor (left) and MIMA Director General Datuk Chin Yoon Chin. — Bernama photo
PUTRAJAYA: The unique position of Malaysia’s maritime areas must be appreciated in ensuring its interest are well protected and promoted, said Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Kamarudin Jaafar.
He said the maritime areas, strategically located between the Indian and the Pacific Oceans, had profound economic and geo-political influences on a large number of countries, big and small.
Malaysia’s maritime areas feature busy shipping lanes of communication, especially in the Straits of Melaka, South China Sea, Sulu Sea, Celebes and Andaman Sea, he said, citing the Straits of Melaka alone, where over 75,000 vessels plying its shipping lanes annually, making it one of the busiest in the world.
“Malaysian ports are accessible to major shipping lanes and shipping lines, with the trade they carried has significantly contributed to the country’s economic development,” he said when launching a Maritime Institute of Malaysia’s (MIMA) coffee table book in conjunction with its 25th anniversary yesterday.
The coffee table book serves as a light reading with illustrations and info graphics reflecting MIMA’s evolution and contributions in the national, regional and international maritime domains.
Kamarudin said the Transport Ministry would maintain close collaboration with the relevant stakeholders to ensure that the Malaysian shipping sector remained dynamic and at par with global shipping market trends and developments. — Bernama