KOTA KINABALU: The removal of Klang port as the sole national load centre will lead to further development of Sabah, especially in the logistics and maritime industry, said state Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
Last week, Transport minister Anthony Loke said that the national load centre policy in the 1990s to centralise all cargo services in Port Klang, Selangor will no longer be applicable.
Loke had said that the decision was agreed to at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Klang port now handles quantities of local containers for import and export in excess of six million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units).
"Now that the cabotage policy and national load centre policy has been abolished, the federal government needs to re-assess their priorities on ports and maritime industry in Sabah.
"They need to ensure that adequate and timely funding are provided for Sabah to take advantage of their policy change so that Sabah can leverage on their ports and focus on building up the trade, industry and maritime sectors to increase cargo volume for their ports and ships that come a-calling.
"I am very positive that the move will spur and further stimulate the economy of Sabah and its immediate region with Sepanggar Port on the West Coast and POIC Port in the East Coast being strategically located and ready to take on additional opportunities," said Jeffrey in a statement.
He added that Sabah and Sepanggar Port sits strategically at the centre of the Asean region and at the gateway to the BIMP-EAGA region.
Sabah also sits at the gateway to a relatively under-developed region which holds tremendous potential, more so with the shifting of the Indonesian capital city of Nusantara in Eastern Kalimantan and the growth and stability of the Moro Autonomous Region in Southern Philippines.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey, who is also state Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister, said at the state level, Sabah will be looking to enhance infrastructure and business opportunities with the development of a fishing port and downstream processing.
"This is in line with the state's vision of developing the Sabah Blue Economy and making a leap into the maritime and fisheries industries."