KUCHING: Gafung Petroleum (M) Sdn Bhd (GPSB) and Bintulu Port Sdn Bhd (BPSB) have inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on ship bunkering services at a ceremony held at Pullman Hotel here yesterday.
With this addition of bunkering services by GPSB to all vessels within the BPSB water limits, the efficiency of port operations by BPSB is expected to improve significantly. Bunkering refers to the provision of fuel for ships.
The signing of the MoA was witnessed by guest of honour Sarawak Assistant Minister for E-Commerce Datuk Naroden Majais, who is also Assistant Minister for Entrepreneur and Small, Medium Enterprise Development.
BPSB was represented by group chief executive officer of Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad Datuk Mohammad Medan Abdullah and chief operating officer of BPSB Omar Salleh, while GPSB was represented by its group managing director Tang Kuok Sing, chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Khalid Yusuf, and project manager Zainin Abdul Majid.
“This MoA is indeed a very significant way forward in the progress of the bunkering industry in Sarawak,” Naroden said in his speech.
He added that the ship bunkering industry will be a definite contributor to the economic development of Sarawak, while also providing employment opportunities for the local populace.
He then reminisced about the humble beginnings of BPSB as a purpose-built LNG port in 1983, and applauded their remarkable growth into the largest port in East Malaysia and third largest nationwide with approximately 7,000 vessels in traffic annually.
“Today, Bintulu Port is the main gateway for import and export into Sarawak. With their development over the last 37 years, there are significantly more vessels at the port.
“This increasing queue for bunker fuel at the jetties will affect vessel turnaround time as well as increase the cost of operations. Thus, today’s MoA to provide more bunkering services to complement the increased capacity is indeed very timely,” Naroden said.
He also noted that the MoA which was signed between BPSB, a public listed government-linked company (GLC) and GPSB, a local Sarawak registered company, was indicative of the capabilities of local companies to provide specialised services.
“Competition is normal in any business, and I hope it will be a fair and healthy competition among the players as they observe business ethics and integrity,” Naroden said.
GPSB is certain that it has a competitive edge, with its chairman citing that the company owns a fleet of 16 oil tanker vessels with bunker fuel storage capacities ranging from 150,000 litres to 3.2 million litres.
“With these assets, we are sure that round-the-clock fuel bunkering services can be provided at major ports throughout Malaysia,” Mohamed Khalid said.
He also emphasised on GPSB’s awareness towards operational safety and the health of their staff, in addition to their conscientious commitments to environmental policies.
In his speech, Mohammad Medan also voiced his confidence in GPSB’s ability to elevate BPSB’s name on the bunkering map, citing GPSB’s extensive experience of 12 years in the field.
“I hope that this synergistic relationship between both parties will contribute to the realisation of the port’s vision of becoming a world class port operator in the years to come,” he said.
