Port charges may be going up

Kota Kinabalu: Port charges may be going up next but only after changes are made to the relevant existing laws, both in terms of substance and provision."These were drafted more than 30 years ago. The cargo listed include horses, sheep, goats... in the old days, these were part of the cargo but not anymore. That's how old the regulations are," said Suria Capital Holdings Berhad Chairman Datuk Faisyal Datuk Yusof Hamdain Diego.

The existing laws are the Sabah Ports Authority Enactment 1981 and the Sabah Ports Authority (Scale of Dues and Charges) Regulations 1977.

He said the rates of port charges are extremely low and have never been revised, making it difficult for port management authority to upgrade their service.

Towards this end, he said all other ports in the country have already amended their T&C and their port enactments to reflect the changing time and to satisfy the needs of their respective ports.

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Even the port charges in Johore, he said, had been raised several times but Sabah ports still maintain the same rate as they used to charge in 1981.

This is why, he added, the Group had presented its proposal to the Sabah Ports Authority to have the rates revised and their proposed rates recently.

So far, the report had already received a stamp of approval from Sabah Ports but still needs the consent from the State Legislative Assembly to amend the law.

"Upgrading needs a lot of money. We cannot be expected to continue using pen and paper.

Nowadays, we need a computerised system and this costs money.

"We need to better take care of our employees. When we spend money on projects, we want to see returns on that investment as well.

"We hope the terms and conditions are changed also, so for example, we no longer charge vessels by day but by hour, or something like that," he said.

Faisyal said with better rates, the ports in the State will soon see more rapid growth and modernisation, making the services much more efficient and effective.

Meanwhile, Group Managing Director Ng Kiat Min said foreign vessels have been able to come to Sabah ports and load and unload goods without having to go through Port Klang.

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"The Cabotage policy had been liberalised for quite some time. Foreign ships could load and unload here even before the announcement made by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, exempting Sabah and Sarawak from the policy.

"The only limitation is within Malaysia itself. The policy forbids non-Malaysian vessels to transport goods from one domestic port to another domestic port. For example, foreign vessels cannot load goods from Sabah to send to Sarawak," she said. - Tracy Patrick

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