Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Mohd Amin Liew Abdullah and Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary Mustapha officiate the ceremony. - BB
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah reaffirmed that Muara Port Company Sdn Bhd (MPC) will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to support Brunei’s economic diversification agenda and to create new opportunities for people.
He said this during a ceremony at the Cruise Ship Centre (CSC) on Saturday (Dec 13), marking a milestone in Brunei Darussalam’s maritime and logistics development with the maiden calls of Shandong International Transportation Corp (SITC) and Warisan Shipping Line (WSL), reflecting the growing confidence of regional and international partners in Muara Port’s capabilities and its expanding role as a regional logistics gateway.
The minister said, “Such an occasion reflects continued dedication to enhancing the nation’s connectivity, increasing throughput, lowering logistics costs for our business community, and creating greater local employment opportunities.”
Over the years, he revealed, “we have seen increasing trend of shipping services at Muara Port. In recent months, the new rotations have further increased shipping activities at the port. Alongside these new services, the existing Qinzhou–Muara Line continues to play a pivotal role in positioning Muara Port as a hub within the BIMP-EAGA region, and beyond.”
He continued, “This long-standing service forms the backbone of our regional network, reinforcing Muara Port’s function as a vital link between Brunei, the wider BIMP-EAGA subregion, and the broader trade corridors extending through the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC). These services represent more than just new vessel calls. They signify growing confidence in Brunei’s potential as a strategic transit point and reaffirm our long-term goal of positioning Muara Port as an efficient and competitive regional logistics gateway.”
The minister added, “Despite this short period of operation, we are already seeing promising results. These early figures indicate real demand and signal Brunei’s strengthening role in regional maritime corridors.
"As throughput continues to grow, we can expect improved port utilisation, stronger shipping connectivity, and ultimately lower logistics costs, further enhancing Brunei’s linkages to regional and global markets.”
As part of the maiden call, an extensive import service network has been introduced, including both direct and transshipment connections across major markets.
The expanded routes provide Brunei’s traders with wider market access, more flexible shipping options and improved transit times, thereby supporting commercial competitiveness and supply chain resilience.
Meanwhile, the event also saw the launch of the JIFA Bohai Coastal Feeder Service, operating twice per rotation, linking Muara with Lahad Datu, Samalaju and Singapore before returning to Brunei.
Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Mohd Amin Liew and Minister of Transport and Infocommunications and Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary Mustapha officiated the ceremony.
Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of China in Brunei Darussalam Chen Chuan, General Manager of SITC Jason Jiang and chairman of WSL Zakaria Aziz were also present. – Borneo Bulletin/ANN
