KUCHING: Rimbun Prima Sdn Bhd and China Communications Construction Company (M) Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian – China joint venture, has been selected over six other companies to helm the RM238 million contract to deepen the shipping channel to Miri port at Kuala Baram delta.
The contract is the cheapest, said Sarawak Deputy Premier and Infrastructure and Port Development Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas after witnessing the contract signing here today.
The three-year contract, which starts from July 1, also called for the construction of training bunds on the river – 6km on each side -- to increase the flow of shipping traffic at Kuala Baram.
With the bunds, the Miri Port Authority (MPA) stated the depth of the shipping channel could be about 25m deep, which was the draft limit for all types of ships.
Currently, the channel depth to access the delta at low tide is about 0.7m actual chart datum (ACD). At high tide, it is only 3m ACD, which restricted larger ships with a draft of more than 3m from calling at Miri Port.
ACD is the specific reference point used in a given area to measure and represent underwater depths on nautical charts, providing a standardised baseline for safe navigation.
MPA chairman Paulus Palu Gumbang said the shallow shipping channel was causing "severe navigational safety hazards" in the Kuala Baram delta.
He said there have been incidents where vessels had run aground.
Gumbang said the depth limitation in Miri port had doubled the handling costs because frequent delays in berthing and departure had increased the turnaround time and disrupted shipping schedules.
He also said the shallow channel had stifled the growth of industries operating at the nearby Kuala Baram industrial estate.
"The deepening of the channel would make Miri port realise its designed handling capacity of handling 3.5 million tonnes of cargoes per annum," he added.
MPA, which considered the project as crucial, had reportedly been planning a dredging work since the port was opened in 1996.