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Seaports are expected to be
integrated into the supply chain, in line with
the growing emphasis on door-to-door delivery of
cargo instead of port-to-port, said Maritime
Institute of Malaysia research fellow Nazery
Khalid.
“Malaysian ports are not exempted from this
trend and should position themselves to act more
as transit points of cargo providing value-added
services than merely a place where ships call.
“The growing emphasis on developing multi-modal
linkages to enhance the competitiveness of a
trade-dependent nation like Malaysia will
inevitably train the focus on ports which are
critical components in facilitating the nation’s
trade,” he told StarBiz.
Nazery said trade imbalance between Peninsular
and East Malaysia needed to be addressed so that
the ports in the country could reach their full
throughput handling potential.
“As it stands, for every three containers
leaving Peninsular Malaysian ports to Sabah and
Sarawak, two will come back empty. This partly
contributes to the high freight rates and high
inland transportation costs between the two
regions.
“Unless the trade, economic and development
disparity between them is addressed, this
situation is likely to persist,” he said.
Going forward, he said, opportunities existed in
the free zones of several local ports, which had
the potential of enhancing further Malaysia’s
role as a regional distribution centre.
“The efforts of Port Klang, Port of Tanjung
Pelepas and Penang Port to establish such zones
within their premises as a strategy to provide
value-added services to their users are laudable
and should be given due support by local
manufacturers and business entities,” he said.
Nazery added that other Malaysian ports should
take the cue from such a move to present a
package of attractive investment opportunities
and growth plans to draw and raise capital for
their expansion plans.
“This is all the more pressing, given that
shipping lines and other port users are
increasingly looking for a comprehensive range
of services in deciding their ports of choice,”
he said.
According to Nazery, it will be critical for
Malaysia, whose economic prosperity depends a
lot on the efficiency of its trade
infrastructure, to adjust and respond to
fast-changing trends and market conditions that
affect trade transport.
“This is even more evident in the maritime
sector that facilitates much of the country’s
trade and is a key thrust for our overall
competitiveness as a trading nation,” he said.
“The intense competition for ports to attract
cargo and the never-ending pursuit of shipping
lines for operational efficiency and economies
of scale exert tremendous pressure on Malaysian
ports to provide the best, most effective
services at all times,” he said. |
