East Malaysian Ports Poised to Serve BIMP-EAGA Hub

KUCHING, (Sarawak, Malaysia) July 16 (Bernama) -- Kuching Port Authority's (KPA) Tebedu Inland Port which is strategically positioned to serve the western part of Kalimantan, Indonesia is poised to become a regional distribution hub between West Kalimantan and eastern Sarawak state. KPA chairman Awang Bemee Pengiran Ali Basah said in terms of container productivity, the port handled well above the industry average of 30 moves per hour apart from being the first Malaysian port to be accorded the MS ISO 9002 certification on Container Handling Management System. "Both the port and Sabah Ports (in eastern Malaysian state) are strategically located to serve the eastern part of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines East Asia Growth Area or better known as BIMP-EAGA Region," Awang Bemee told a visting 17-member delegation from Sabah Port Sdn Bhd’s Operations Meeting Committee here recently. Awang Bemee said Sabah Ports' Sepangar Bay Container Port is strategically positioned to serve as a transhipment hub for the BIMP-EAGA region in particular between Malaysia and Philippines. Sarawak's Tebedu Inland Port and Sabah ports are believed to play a pivotal role in facilitating cross border goods and cargo movements. BIMP-EAGA covers an area of 1.6 million square kms and has a combined population of 60 million. -- BERNAMA