Malaysia, Indonesia ports to start RoRo services

October export orders rose 9.2% from a year earlier, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday, compared with 7.95% forecast in a Reuters poll and 6.9% in September.

JOHOR BARU: Malaysia and Indonesia will start their first roll-on, roll-off services (RoRo) between two ports in Melaka and Sumatra. 

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Ab Aziz Kaprawi said the services between Tanjung Bruas Port, Melaka, and Dumai Port in Sumatra would start before the end of the year. 

"The services between the two ports will help to boost trade activities as well as tourism sectors in Malaysia and Indonesia," he said at a press conference on Thursday (Feb 15) after witnessing the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between Johor Port Bhd and PT Pelabuhan Indonesia 1 (Pelindo 1). 

Johor Port was represented by chief executive officer Shahrull Allam Shah Abdul Halim and Pelindo 1 by Human Resources and General Affairs director Hamid Wijaya. 

He said Johor Port, which comes under MMC Ports, would handle the RoRo services at the Tanjung Bruas Port. 

He added that MMC Ports would invest about RM10mil to set up facilities at the port. 

Aziz said the RoRo services would help to reduce cost as perishable goods from Sumatra would be transported on lorries which would use RoRo ferries to Melaka.