KLANG: Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd’s annual container handling capacity is expected to double from 14 million to 28 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) under its ongoing expansion, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said.
He said Port Klang would remain Malaysia's most important maritime gateway and a major transhipment hub in Southeast Asia.
Loke said the government had also approved the development of a third port at Pulau Carey as part of Port Klang's longer-term expansion plans.
"We will continue to expand our ports so that we can handle more capacity and more containers and we hope companies such as Daiso will continue to make Malaysia their global hub.
"We welcome more companies to relocate to Malaysia and establish their global distribution centres here as this industry is very important,” he said at the opening ceremony of Daiso’s new Global Distribution Centre (GDC) attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim here today.
Loke said Port Klang had become one of the world's 10 busiest ports and continued to improve its operational efficiency and service delivery, particularly in vessel clearance procedures.
He said Daiso’s decision to establish its largest global distribution centre in the company's history at Pulau Indah reflected confidence in Malaysia's logistics infrastructure and its position as a regional supply chain hub.
The facility is expected to handle more than 4,600 outbound containers annually, serving supply chains across 27 countries and regions in Asia, West Asia, Australia and the Americas.
"This scale underscores the immense strategic value of our maritime and overland transport infrastructure.
"Being situated immediately adjacent to Port Klang, one of the world's top container transhipment ports, this facility exemplifies our National Transport Policy in action, connecting sea, road and automated warehousing into a seamless logistics network," he said.
Loke said the Transport Ministry was expediting efforts under the Malaysia Maritime Single Window initiative to further improve port efficiency through digitalisation.
"All port clearances are now done digitally. We are moving into the second phase, where more clearances involving multiple agencies can be completed online instead of through paperwork, as was the practice in the past," he said.
He also expressed hope that the Finance Ministry would consider providing further incentives to attract more global brands to establish their global distribution centres in Malaysia. - Bernama
