KUCHING, 20 March: A special task force has been formed to tackle the issues faced by the shipping industry players on registration of ships and survey of vessels exceeding 500 gross tonne (GT) operating in Sarawak waters.
Minister of Transport Sarawak, Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin said the measure was to ensure the shipping sector is well administered and continues to progress.
Taking into consideration the importance of facilitating the transportation of essential items and other daily necessities in times of need, the task force comprise of directors from marine departments of Sarawak region, with members from MOTS, Sarawak Rivers Board (LSS), SMM and Sarawak Association of Maritime Industries (SAMIN).
“This is crucial to facilitate shipping essentials such as medicine and food products in difficult times, as we can see during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“With a total of 1,193 ships registered in Sarawak, and the recent requirement of Safety of Life of Sea (SOLAS), the classification of vessels needs to be classified,” he told a press conference after a briefing on Ships Survey and Proposal to Sarawak by Ships Classification Malaysia (SCM) held at a hotel on Monday.
Lee pointed out that the Sarawak and Sabah Shipowners’ Association (SSSA) was asked to submit the proposal within a month.
“The stakeholders will have to submit the proposal before the meeting chaired in May, to be consulted before proposal,” he added.
Also present were Director of Marine Department Sarawak Region, Mohamad Marzuki Brahim, Director of Ships Classification Malaysia, Dato’ Abdul Jamil Murshid, Head of Maritime and Riverine Division, Teo Swee Ann and Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Transport Sarawak , Dato Ir. Alice Jawan Empaling. – TVS
