KUALA LUMPUR: The government has drawn up short and long-term strategies to strengthen the competitiveness of the country's main ports, namely Port Klang and Port of Tanjung Pelepas.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the strategy covers aspects of increasing capacity, improving efficiency and productivity, as well as transformation towards a low-carbon green port.
"The Transport Ministry is confident that the performance of the country's main ports will continue to grow positively in the years to come," he said during the question and answer session at the Dewan Negara on Wednesday (March 27).
He was replying to Senator Dr A Lingeshwaran who wanted to know whether the construction of the 'land bridge' that will connect the Adaman Sea with the Gulf of Thailand will affect the number of ships anchored in Malaysia and its plans to deal with it.
Anthony said the good relationship between Malaysia and Thailand opens up space for the countries to establish cooperation to work on new high-impact initiatives for mutual benefit.
"Besides port development, Malaysia is ready to share with Thailand the latest development of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project where the ECRL terminal station in Kota Bharu is very close to the Malaysia-Thailand border.
"The government is also open to proposals to extend the ECRL track to the Malaysia-Thailand border and connect directly to the existing Thai rail network or new infrastructure that will be developed in the future," he said.
He said if the railway connectivity of the two countries could be improved, the movement of cargo and passengers would be more rapid thus catalyzing economic growth in the northern region and east coast of Malaysia with Southern Thailand.
In fact, he said the approach is also able to improve regional economic integration by connecting the two countries to China's network and market through Laos.
"The ministry is confident that Malaysia and Thailand can explore a formula of close cooperation in the field of transport and national development for the sake of mutual long-term interests," he said.
Responding to Lingeshwaran's supplementary question on whether any government-linked companies (GLCs) and government-linked investment companies (GLICs) from Malaysia will meet Thailand to bid for investment in the project, Anthony said so far there are no plans regarding the investment.
On February 16, the Thai Parliament approved the proposed report of the Chumphon-Ranong Land Bridge (CRLB) mega project with a development concept involving the construction of a new port in Chumphon and Ranong that is connected to the infrastructure of highways, railways and channels pipe. - Bernama
