THE operations of the Bintulu Port will not be disrupted during the process of the Sarawak government’s takeover from the federal government in July next year, said Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development Datuk Majang Renggi.
“We are in the process of preparing the required legal provisions and other necessary arrangements to assume control of Bintulu Port in tandem with the federal government’s due process to repeal the declaration of an Area in Bintulu District to be a Federal Port Act, 1979, and the Bintulu Port Authority Act, 1981.
“The whole process is expected to be completed by July 2024,” he said during question-and-answer session in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) today.
He assured that the handing over of Bintulu Port Authority involves the change of administration from the federal government to the state government; however, the transition will not disrupt the operations.
Under Sarawak government’s administration, he said, Bintulu Port will play a pivotal role in facilitating the state’s economic development, in particular the oil and gas industry and its midstream and downstream activities, edible oil, the proposed supply base, Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), production of hydrogen and other biofuels.
Earlier, Tanjong Batu assemblyman Johnny Pang wanted to know the expected time frame for the state to take over the port from the federal government.
Renggi said the Sarawak government has persistently desired to take over Bintulu Port in restoring its right as enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“It is currently a federal port under the purview of the Ministry of Transport (MoT) Malaysia, a vital federal port plays a strategic role and an important asset to complete Sarawak’s economic ecosystem.
“The Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) during his 2024 Budget speech agreed to hand over the Bintulu Port to the Sarawak government,” he added.
