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SEREMBAN: The authorities hope to ship more cargo originating from Indonesia and Thailand via Port Klang to cement its position as one of the top seaports in the world.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (pic) said Port Klang — which is currently the world’s 11th busiest port — will also have a bigger role to play once the Carey Island port-industrial city project covering an area of 100sq km, takes off.
"We want to build Port Klang as an important hub for Asean and to achieve this, we hope to among others increase cargo from Sumatra, Indonesia and Thailand.
"We will also build bigger ports including in Carey Island which will be connected to Pulau Indah.
"So it will be Northport, Westport and Carey Island … it will be a very huge port with good facilities," he said, adding that the move would also see the expansion of the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) from Pulau Indah to Carey Island.
Apart from being a port-cum-industrial zone, Carey Island, he said, was a new city in the making.
He was speaking to reporters at the 71st anniversary of the Negri Sembilan Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday night.
Also present were Deputy Education Minister Datuk Chong Sin Woon, Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia life honorary president Tan Sri William Cheng and its Negri Sembilan chapter head Datuk Looi Hei Tyng.
Liow, who has also been entrusted by the Cabinet to chair the National Logistics Task Force, said he was extremely confident of the Malaysian port becoming an Asean logistics hub.
"Last year, Port Klang did very well handling more cargo or 13 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). It is a very efficient port and if we work a little bit harder, we can even be in the top 10," he said, adding that as task force chairman, he would be coordinating efforts between the Finance and International Trade and Industry Ministries and the Economic Planing Unit (EPU).
In 2015, Port Klang handled 11.89 million TEUs.
Liow expressed confidence that the stakeholders in the logistics business would support the Government’s target to make the country an Asean logistics hub.
"To ensure its success, we must make sure that our rail, port and airline cargo transportation as well as other basic infrastructure networks continue to operate well," he said.
