Joint venture partners win Samalaju Port deal worth RM311.1mil

KUCHING: Miri-based construction firm Perkerjaan Piasau Konterik Sdn Bhd, with CHEC Construction (M) Sdn Bhd as its joint venture partner, has won a second major contract worth RM311.1mil for another job for Samalaju Port development project.

Perkerjaan Piasau Konterik is a unit of the diversified Shin Yang group.

Samalaju Industrial Port Sdn Bhd (SIPSB), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bintulu Port Holdings Bhd (BPHB) issued the letter of acceptance on Tuesday to Pekerjaan Piasau Konterik Sdn Bhd-CHEC Construction (M) Sdn Bhd JV for the project’s wharf and associated works package.

The duration of the contract is 27 months from the issuance date of commencement work notice.

To be built under the package include four handymax wharves and one handysize wharf that could handle cargo vessels up to 50,000 deadweight tonnes (DWT).

In July, Perkerjaan Piasau Konterik-China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd(CHEC) JV secured a RM306mil contract for the new port’s breakwater and associated works package to be completed in 30 months.

CHEC Construction is also a joint venture partner of United Engineers (Malaysia) Construction to design and build the 23.5km Penang second bridge, which is expected to be operational soon.

Other packages of the Samalaju Port project which are currently being carried out are the capital dredging and reclamation package (RM437mil) by Integrated Marine Works Sdn Bhd and interim port facility package (RM194mil) by Trans Resources Corp Sdn Bhd.

The interim port facilities, comprising two wharves of 160m in length each, and a roll-on roll-off ramp, are expected to be operational next month, according to SIPSB head of operations Mat Salleh Mohd Etli recently.

The interim facilities is capable of handling up to four million tonnes of cargo per annum. When the port is fully developed by 2016, the cargo handling capacity will be raised to 18 million tonnes a year.

The Samalaju Port is designed to cater for especially energy-intensive industries, like aluminium and ferro silicon and manganese smelters, in Samalaju Industrial Park.