KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government is considering seizing opportunities to upgrade its ports to meet growing demand, said state Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
Hajiji said the state anticipated more growth in shipping with the completion of the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) in Kalimantan, Indonesia.
"The Lombok-Makassar Strait is expected to become a key shipping route connecting countries like Japan, South Korea and China with Indonesia and Australia.
"This shipping route will benefit key districts like Kudat, Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Semporna and Tawau.
"Sabah's shipping industry players should seriously consider services such as bunkering and ship-to-ship transfers," he said in response to a question by Datuk Rina Jainal (Harapan-Kukusan) on the potential of the maritime economy during the state assembly sitting here.
Hajiji said Sabah also had the longest coastline of 2,383km with 407 islands, which has vast potential to be sustainably explored and developed as a tourism asset.
"Economic exploration of Sabah's islands should consider their wellbeing to ensure sustainable development," he said.
On marine resource harvesting, Hajiji said the state government had issued the first vessel and fishing equipment licences to Labuan Madani Marine Sdn Bhd for vessels SBF 68 and SBF 66 on Dec 20, 2023. The vessels began operations on April 25 and Aug 15 respectively.
"These are the first licences issued by the state government since the deep-sea fishing (C2) licensing authority was transferred to the state under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63)."
He also said that the Sabah Maju Jaya Secretariat had received proposals from two domestic investors to develop offshore fish cages, which were being evaluated for feasibility. The initial phase of this proposal is expected to involve an investment of US$30 million.
"Through Kota Kinabalu City Hall, the state government plans to develop an EU-standard tuna and deep-sea fishing port in Kota Kinabalu while upgrading the existing fish market."