Labour shortage among challenges faced by transporters

Yong: At the moment, more than 50% of the transportation in Peninsular Malaysia are making use of inland waterways.

THERE are several factors to consider in the development of riverways as a transportation route.

Industry practitioners point out labour shortage as a major challenge.

“Malaysia does not have enough expertise where the piloting of barges is concerned. There is always a dearth of crews, especially captains.

“For now, a majority of the boat captains are mostly Filipinos and Indonesians,” said Selangor Freight Forwarders and Logistics Association vice-president Yeoh Keng Yao.

Industry players are also urging the authorities to relook at existing policies to expedite travelling time and to allow for more growth opportunities.

“Currently, vessels traversing riverways have to follow the same regulations as those that are doing international shipping,” said Sarawak Association of Marine Industries president Renco Yong.

He said this required vessels transporting cargo along domestic routes to declare their goods with no exceptions made for those making stops along the same river or who were just passing from one state to another.

“When a vessel stops, it is not just a simple procedure. Let’s say the ship arrives at 4.30pm, the immigration, customs, labour and river or port authority offices would have already closed. So, the vessel will have to wait until the next day. In shipping, time is money,” said Yong.

“The actual operation only takes half an hour but due to documentation requirements, the vessel has to spend a whole day at the jetty.

“If the same cargo was delivered by truck, it would take only three hours versus the few days needed should a cargo be delivered via domestic shipping,” he added.

Datuk Peter Lim, who is managing director of a jetty along Sungai Langat in Selangor, also felt that the current operational scope for river jetties was too restrictive.

Only domestic cargo, including those from Sabah and Sarawak, could be accepted and those who have special permission are allowed to offload international cargo.

Crew requirements for riverway transport was another issue, he added.

International shipping law required 10 crews to man a barge and tugboat for riverine routes, but Lim opined that a helmsman and an engineer would be sufficient.

Industry practitioners want the authorities to look into the issues raised, to encourage more logistics providers to explore using riverways for cargo transport.

When contacted, Transport Ministry said its maritime division would look into the matter for further study.

It said industry players were also encouraged to send their feedback to the ministry at [e-mail]