SERI KEMBANGAN: The government is working on implementing the Malaysian Maritime Single Window (MMSW) to cut red tape and improve efficiency at local ports.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Phase 1 involving 10 shipping companies will assess the integrity of the system which began on April 21.
"We're expecting full operation by the end of this year. The unity government is committed to enhance public and commercial service delivery through digitalisation," Loke added.
Business Times reported on May 4 that ships at Port Klang terminals were taking up to an average of nine hours to dock.
Average berthing delay for container vessels was said to be at 9.3 hours for Westports and 1.9 hours at Northport as of April.
The ports saw a sudden surge in number of vessels re-routed due to the ongoing Red Sea crisis.
Port Klang Authority general manager Captain K. Subramaniam reportedly said this led to vessel bunching due to the high number of vessels calling out of window.
He explained that many shipping companies have had to change routes due to the Red Sea crisis, having to use the Cape of Good Hope instead of the Suez Canal.
"The change of route has resulted in longer voyages, necessitating shipping lines to omit some ports to catch up on their schedule. Hence, some lines calling at Port Klang are discharging more containers, which will be feedered to regional ports," he said.
Authorities in cooperation with terminal operators are said to have come up with a number of measures to ease the current congestion at Port Klang.
These include prioritising vessels intended for loading export and transshipment containers to free up yard space and expediting the discharge and loading operations per vessel, by using more quay cranes.
Extra rubber-tyred gantry cranes have also been deployed to enhance yard operations.
Additionally, shipping lines have been requested to provide their berthing schedules in advance to ensure better planning and coordination.