Ng: Port Klang was world’s 10th busiest container port, surpassing Hong Kong for the first time, last year.
SELANGOR is pursuing infrastructure and enterprise development focusing on port expansion and entrepreneur empowerment.
State investment, trade and mobility committee chairman Ng Sze Han said the foundation of Selangor’s strategy depended on the good performance of Port Klang, which had cemented its status as a global maritime heavyweight.
“Last year, Port Klang was officially crowned the world’s 10th busiest container port, handling 14.64 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), which is a 4.1% increase over 2023 and surpassing Hong Kong for the first time.
“Container volumes are projected to approach 15 million TEUs this year, indicating continued growth momentum.”
He was replying to Azmizam Zaman Huri (PH-Pelabuhan Klang) who asked how the growth would create opportunities in the port and logistics sectors and for small businesses in the export supply chain.
Ng said Selangor’s trade performance showed an increase in trade value, which rose 12.3% to RM864.48bil in 2024 compared to 2023.
During the same period, export value increased by 7.3% to RM507.43bil.
“Of course, this growth in traffic, and trade value and export has a direct impact on job opportunities in the logistics sector,” he said during the Selangor State Assembly sitting at Bangunan Dewan Negeri Selangor in Shah Alam yesterday.
“For the period 2020 to June 2025, 114,092 potential job opportunities were created in Selangor, of which 70,411 potential job opportunities are from the approval of new investment projects approved by Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) in Selangor.
“Of this total, 14,563 (20.7%) potential job opportunities are from the service sector, including logistics and the rest in the manufacturing sector,” said Ng.
To ensure long-term competitiveness, Selangor was advancing major infrastructure projects, he added.
Central to this is the proposed development of a third port at Pulau Carey, with a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), designed to boost supply chain efficiency and expand port capacity.
Ng said the state would be strategically utilising the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) network to bridge ports on the east coast with Port Klang.
“This involves developing several inland ports in Serendah, Hulu Selangor and Klang.”
He said a major pillar of the strategy also targeted support for micro and small entrepreneurs.
“The state is moving beyond simple financing to build an ecosystem that validates business models and supports execution.
“Initiatives include the Selangor Twin Accelerator Programme (covering DeepTech and Retail Tech) and practical skills development programmes focused on social networking and e-commerce platforms,” added Ng.
In a supplementary question, Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali (PN-Hulu Kelang) asked about the impact of unilateral tariffs imposed by the US.
“What action will the Selangor government take to ensure that we benefit from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and reduce the impact of the unilateral tariffs imposed on Malaysia?”
Ng said the tariff rate was comparable to those faced by other Asean countries.
He emphasised that Selangor’s key growth sectors – aerospace, semiconductors and semiconductor development – were largely exempt from the tariffs.
