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KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Timber Industries Association (STIA) has urged the government to urgently resolve longstanding issues plaguing Tawau Port, which continue to disrupt cargo shipments and affect industry operations.

Its president, Tan Peng Juan, said poor port facilities, particularly the breakdown of the only two cranes used for loading, have resulted in serious delays, demurrage costs and the cancellation of scheduled vessels such as the May 11 shipment.

He said the number of feeder vessels calling at Tawau Port has declined drastically, from two per week to one every fortnight, signalling a worsening logistical bottleneck.

Currently, STIA members have 80 containers stuck since April 18 and another 96 awaiting shipment, with trucking to Kota Kinabalu incurring an added RM2,000 per container, which the industry cannot afford.

Tan called on the Sabah Public Works Ministry and Sabah Ports Sdn Bhd to act immediately on the congestion while also investing in long-term solutions to prevent future disruptions.