The operator of West Port has clarified that its expansion project in Pulau Indah under Klang, Selangor, underwent extensive regulatory scrutiny including impact assessments, before receiving the green light from authorities.
Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd special officer to the executive chairman Shamsul Afif Abdul Waris said the company conducted comprehensive social impact assessments, environmental impact assessments and traffic impact assessments before the project kicked off in 2024.
Addressing concerns over habitat loss, Shamsul said the clearing of about 97ha of mangroves within Pulau Indah was a regulated and approved development process.
He added that Westports committed to replanting more than 100ha of mangroves – involving at least 250,000 trees – over the concession period to mitigate the impact.
“The replanting efforts have already begun, including at Hutan Simpan Pulau Klang in March last year and another site in Hutan Simpan Kapar.
“Westports has no further requirements to clear any mangroves within Pulau Indah beyond what has already been approved under the current expansion framework.”
On concerns raised by fishermen and indigenous coastal communities, Shamsul said Westports acknowledged that dredging and reclamation activities could cause temporary disruption to the coastal ecosystem during construction.
However, he noted historical data from previous expansion showed completed marine structures eventually functioned as artificial reefs, attracting marine life over time.
“Observations following the completion of earlier phases of West Port’s development since the 1990s have shown that fishing activities in surrounding waters continued and marine ecosystems adapted over time.
“We will engage with Orang Asli communities in Pulau Carey, as well as fishermen from Pulau Indah, Port Klang and other coastal stakeholders to better understand concerns over fish and prawn catches,” he said.
The company, he added, remained committed to environmental stewardship through marine water quality monitoring, sediment and turbidity controls during dredging and long-term environmental management plans.
Shamsul said the West Port 2 expansion was expected to strengthen the country’s competitive position as a regional maritime hub, improve national logistics efficiency and support growing transshipment demands.
“Under the renewed concession arrangement, Westports has transferred two parcels of land totalling about 300ha, valued at RM610mil, to the government through the Port Klang Authority,” he said.
He also clarified that the West Ports 2 expansion project was entirely separate from the proposed third port development in Pulau Carey, which received Cabinet approval in March.
Shamsul said the proposed Pulau Carey development involved a separate master planning exercise and could include a Special Economic Zone spanning between 1,011ha and 2,023ha over several decades.
“We believe some concerns expressed publicly may stem from broader apprehension relating to those separate future developments in Pulau Carey, rather than the presently approved West Port 2 expansion project within Pulau Indah,” he said. — By VIJENTHI NAIR
