Sarawak aspires to emulate productivity of Japan’s Yokohama Port

KUCHING: Sarawak aspires to attain a similar container handling productivity as Japan’s Yokohama Port, said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas following his recent visit to the port in Kanagawa prefecture.
 
During the visit, Uggah and his delegation were briefed by the port’s senior officer Yasuyuki Saito.
 
According to Saito, Yokohama Port is governed by the City of Yokohama and operated by Yokohama-Kawasaki International Port (YKIP) Corporation and is one of Japan’s two key gateway ports for container handling.
 
He said that the port boasts impressive statistics, having handled 2.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last year.
 
“Notably, it achieved the top position in the Container Port Productivity Index (CPPI) in 2020, boasting an impressive container handling productivity of 40 gross moves per hour (GMPH),” he said.
 
Having heard the briefing, Uggah, who is also the Infrastructure and Port Development Minister, expressed his desire to attain a similar level of container handling productivity for Sarawak.
 
“The Sarawak government remains fully committed to its port development agenda as outlined in the Post-COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.
 
“This entails upgrading the facilities and equipment of its ports, fostering growth and efficiency within our port infrastructure,” he said.
 
The delegates’ visit to the port as part of their five-day study visit was warmly received by representatives from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Tourism Japan, the City of Yokohama, YKIP Corporation, and APM Terminals Japan.