KOTA KINABALU: A multimillion European Union-standard port is set to be constructed in Sabah to harvest tuna and other sea produce, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
The Chief Minister said based on projections, this venture would see Sabah generate up to RM1.8bil annually from port landing, fishing and harvesting activities as well as spillovers from supporting industries.
He said the development of this RM360mil port is an investment from Alpha Ocean Resources Bhd (AORB), who together with the City Hall (DBKK), Petco Trading Labuan Company Ltd and the state, will delve into tuna and seafood harvesting.
Hajiji said Sabah is within the migratory route for tuna and has natural sheltered ports or harbours while strategically located near major producer countries such as Indonesia, Philippines and Papua New Guinea.
“We have all the pre-terms needed - location, source, infrastructure and policy support - to drive Sabah into a world-standard for landing, processing and exporting sea produce,” he said, while assuring that modern fishing would not harm traditional fishermen in the state.
He said this after witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between DBKK with Petco Trading Labuan Company Ltd and a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between DBKK and AORB here, Wednesday (July 30).
With the MOA, AORB will invest RM360mil to develop this EU standard port for tuna and seafood landing in Kota Kinabalu, Hajiji said, adding that this project is expected to take 18 months to complete.
Some 1,000 job opportunities are set to be opened up after that, he said, adding that this port will follow strict EU standards such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), tractability, Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) monitoring and overall food security.
“With this facility, we would be able to penetrate the premium export market which had been hard to reach due to the absence of suitable facilities,” he said.
Hajiji said Malaysia’s participation in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) will also turn this port into a legal anchoring centre for licensed fishing vessels globally.
Earlier, he mentioned that the welfare of local fishermen and coastal villagers would not be sidelined because an inclusive development model will be drawn up to benefit these communities and at the same time, ensure sustainability of the industry.
Other than this venture, the MOU signed between DBKK and Petco Trading Labuan Company Ltd is set to develop a biogas energy complex at the Kayu Madang landfill.
This project aims to extract methane gas from solid waste to green electricity by around 2 Megawatts, Hajiji said.
This additional power source will benefit the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP), he said.
He said both these initiatives were in line with the Sabah Blue Economy Agenda which emphasises on sustainable development, adding value to the fisheries industries and transitions to greener energy.
