MIRI: The potential for growth in the marine industry in the near future is high, said Deputy Chief Minister Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
Currently, however, the shipbuilding and ship repair (SBSR) industry is facing many challenges such as slow recovery of crude oil prices, US-China trade war, tighter ship financing, and new regulations imposed by the International Maritime Organisation.
Awang Tengah said the industry should not remain idle but must continuously upgrade its capability and leverage modern technology such as greater automation and digitalisation.
“In order to prepare our industries to face the challenges, my (Tengah’s) ministry and Curtin University, Swinburne University of Technology, University Malaysia Sarawak and Sarawak Skills Development Centre conducted nine programmes on the Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) last year,” he said.
“In addition, we have also conducted two specific courses for SBSR on ship stability and wiring, ducting and automation in the shipbuilding technology together with University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS).
“The government is always committed to further improve our nation’s competitiveness in the global market by developing our national technology through greater research and development (R&D) and strengthening the industrial sectors.”
The priority is given to promoting local content of every final product that we deliver, starting from design up to shipbuilding and ship repairs to ensure benefits are accrued to local companies, agencies and industries to enhance the development of Malaysia’s economy, human capital and technology, he said.
“We must build up our design capability, specifically in shipbuilding and other marine sectors so as to be less dependent on foreign designs because currently, ship designs for almost all naval and enforcement vessels are procured from overseas,” he urged.
In order to address this issue, UniKL MIMET and TDA Berhad have initiated the establishment of Asia Marine Design Centre (AMDeC) with the aim to become a centre of excellence in maritime technology and to promote local content of Malaysian vessels through design and engineering works.
With this set up, local design houses can upgrade their capabilities in producing more complex designs and give competitive advantages to the shipbuilding industry.
Therefore, Tengah urged the SBSR players in Sarawak to work closely with various government agencies, especially TDA, AMDeC and other institutions of higher learning to increase local content starting with local designs.
“Industries and government must work hand in hand to empower the industries to make a difference. As technology changes rapidly, we need to continuously innovate and improve our shipbuilding and ship repairs capability for both sea and shore operations to address the challenges ahead, especially for the security and defence sector,” he said.
On the symposium, he was optimistic that it would become a good platform for networking between industry stakeholders from both the public and private sectors.
“I hope it would become a meeting point for the global maritime community in Malaysia, a region where the industry remains buoyant with strong growth,” he concluded.
Awang Tengah was accompanied at the event by International Trade and Industry, Industrial Terminal and Entrepreneur Development Assistant Minister Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais, chief executive officer for Technology Depository Agency Datuk Zailani Safari and Lambir Assemblyman Ripin Lamat.
