KOTA KINABALU: The continued congestion in one of Sabah’s main ports, the Sepanggar Bay Container Port, was a result of leadership failure from various levels of operations, claims Parti Warisan.
Warisan vice-president Datuk Junz Wong said the worsening congestion at the port reflected a serious failure of leadership, planning and accountability by the state government and parties involved in the port’s expansion and operations.
“The chaos at Sepanggar Port is not accidental. It is the result of years of delay, weak oversight and poor coordination. Sabah businesses and consumers are now paying the price,” he said.
He said container dwell times of up to four hours, mile-long lorry queues, and vessels forced to wait as long as eight days just to berth, are situations unacceptable for a major commercial port.
“This is not just about delayed cargo clearance. Every stranded lorry means lost income for drivers, financial losses for businesses, and higher prices for consumers. Livelihoods are being affected,” Wong said.
Elaborating on complaints received from affected business operators, he said congestion at the port has halved delivery capacity, with lorry drivers now able to deliver only two containers per day instead of four due to prolonged waiting times.
“This sharp drop in productivity has driven up operating costs, from excessive fuel consumption caused by long idling, to higher maintenance expenses. Transport operators have no choice but to raise charges,” he said.
The limited daily clearance capacity has caused a growing backlog of containers at the port, resulting in many exceeding the five-day free storage period, triggering additional port storage and removal charges, Wong said.
“On top of that, prolonged dwell times lead to demurrage and detention charges. These costs are not absorbed by transporters or consignees alone - they are eventually passed down the supply chain and reflected in higher prices paid by Sabah consumers,” he said.
He reiterated that efficient seaports are a prerequisite for industrial and manufacturing growth in Sabah.
“For the manufacturing sector to develop and flourish, we must first have efficient seaports. Unfortunately, our Sepanggar Bay Container Port is still in a mess. Besides red tape, holding times are unacceptably high, and this has directly increased the cost of doing business in Sabah,” said Wong.
He questioned how the port expansion, which began in 2021, could still be only 18% completed by 2025, despite repeated assurances that the project was on track.
He also criticised the decision to relocate Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) services to Sepanggar despite existing congestion, questioning whether comprehensive risk and traffic impact assessments were presented to Cabinet before the decision was approved.
While welcoming Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ewon Benedick’s acknowledgement of the problem, Wong stressed that recognition without immediate action is meaningless.
On Wednesday, Ewon had called on all parties to place Sabah’s interests as a top priority in addressing complaints over congestion at the Sepanggar Port.
He said that the complaints involved the entire service supply chain, not only port operations but also activities outside the port, including the roles of various government agencies and the need for digitalisation of services.
