KUCHING: Bintulu Port was ranked third largest port in Malaysia in terms of cargo volume handled last year and the biggest in Sarawak and Sabah.
“The port started as a liquefied natural gas (LNG) port, but we have diversified to cater to the non-LNG sector and it has contributed well for our overall performance,” Bintulu Port Holdings Bhd (BPHB) chairman Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa said in a press conference after chairing the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) at Hilton Hotel, yesterday.
He said the non-LNG cargo throughput made up almost 51.0 percent of the total cargo throughput last year, as compared to 2017 when LNG contributed 54 percent of the total cargo
throughput.
“In this regard, Samalaju Port continued to show positive contribution with an outstanding 59.7 percent increase of cargo throughput last year,” he said.
Bintulu Port handled a total throughput of 48.34 million tonnes of cargo last year compared with 50.28 million tonnes in 2017.
Meanwhile, BPHB Group chief executive officer Datuk Mohammad Medan said that overall performance was very good.
“We are on track in terms of diversifying our cargo mix, the primary constitution is to not over-rely on one cargo as in the past, which was LNG. We have diversified our cargo mix and our sources of revenue, and we are on track to achieve that,” he said.
He added they are also putting investment on the new port, Samalaju Industrial Port, to build its capacity and to cater to the requirement of the Samalaju investors.
“The business model is very robust. In Bintulu, we have dedicated customers to use our port, and for Samalaju as well,” he said.
Medan said it is a good prospect to the port, for its investors and the company.
“We are working very hard to ensure we deliver our excellence, improve productivity, and also to look for opportunities for growth in terms of business of the group,” he said.
BPHB recorded a turnover of RM686.14 million for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2018, an increase of 0.93 percent or RM6.32 million in comparison to the previous year’s turnover of RM679.82 million.
Meanwhile, the company has also passed six resolutions during the AGM, in which more 99 percent agreed.
They are to improve the payment of director’s fee amounting to RM2,096,900 to the non-executive directors of BPHB Group of Companies starting from today until the next AGM in 2020.
Second, to improve the payment of directors’ benefits payable amounting to RM765,000 to the non-executive directors of BPHB Group of Companies starting today until the next
AGM in 2020.
Third, to re-elect the directors (Dr Ali Hamsa, Datuk Sri Fong Joo Chung, Datuk Nozirah Bahari) who retired pursuant to Article 127 of the company’s Article of Association, and being eligible, have offered themselves for re-election. Fong and Nozirah were mentioned under the fourth and fifth
resolution.
And lastly, to re-appoint Ernst and Young as auditor of the company and to authorise the directors to fix their remuneration.
