KUALA LUMPUR: The government has established the Malaysia Maritime Law Revision Committee (MLRC) to overhaul the country's maritime and shipping laws, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said.
The committee, set up last month, will focus on updating the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 (MSO 1952) and related port acts to ensure alignment with evolving industry practices, international standards, and global treaties.
"The Merchant Shipping Ordinance (MSO) is a law related to shipping that was enacted before our country achieved independence," Loke said.
"At that time, the jurisdiction was different as it only applied to Peninsular Malaysia. Sabah had its own shipping ordinance, and Sarawak had its version as well.
Naturally, there were different jurisdictions, and we must refine or improve it over time to ensure uniformity in the implementation of laws across our nation," he said at the Asian Maritime Law and Business Conference here.
Loke said the need to review and improve these laws to ensure they are up to date as the country has significant potential as a maritime nation.
"Therefore, our laws must support the growth of the maritime economy. This is the effort we must begin now. The Transport Ministry is drafting several amendments, and we hope these can be brought to Parliament next year."
Loke said the amendments are currently under review to identify the aspects that require changes.
"There are also amendments that have been drafted earlier with input from legal bodies, and we hope these inputs will provide a solid foundation for the proposed changes," he said.
Loke also expressed the need to expedite the amendments.
"The process began last month, and we aim to have actionable proposals within 12 months," he said.