KLANG – As the nation’s heartbeat of commerce, Port Klang stands at a crossroads of massive potential and a long-standing predicament.
Industry leaders, buoyed by the government’s injection of RM50 million into Port Klang’s development, are now calling for a strategic revamping of its road systems.
Sharing a mutual concern, they spoke of the urgency of enhancing efficiency in the globe’s 12th busiest port.
While applause echoes for the financial nod towards development, a resounding lament follows. The road systems, the lifelines of Port Klang, are in dire need of an upgrade.
Central Region Shipping Association president Philip Sinnappan, a vocal advocate for change, highlighted the inadequacies.
“They (the government) put in a lot of money for infrastructure, but the road systems to and from (Port Klang) are very bad.”
“One accident would happen at one corner of the road, and the whole journey must reach a stop, and the whole traffic system will be at a standstill,” he said, adding that it may take a person up to five hours to travel a mere 16km during peak hours.
Philip said companies often could not reach their ships in time due to the flawed road system, resulting in loss of clientele. Although ports allocate seven days for the companies, he said it was insufficient for them to get containers into warehouses, pack items and send them to ports in time.
He also said that previous fleets were once stuck in traffic for over seven hours, being forced to reschedule bookings and change routines – wasting both money and time.
The roads themselves, narrow and riddled with potholes, reflect the strain of heavy vehicles navigating their paths.
“We have reported this to the Klang Municipal Council, and it still goes on every six months. The enforcement is not fast enough to tackle the problem,” he said.
“We are living within our means, we put gravel and mud (on the potholes) and continue our business. We need to survive and meet deadlines, as the freight rates have been low.”
Philip also said his warehouse facilities do not match the infrastructure found around Port Klang.
“Depot facilities are fantastic. We’ve installed CCTV cameras that focus on the goods, where Japanese clients can see (from the cameras).”
“We are giving those kinds of first-class facilities, but the infrastructure is ‘out’. It is not economical at all,” he said.
As a result, other nations such as Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia are surpassing Malaysia in terms of port development, he said.
Similarly, Selangor Freight Forwarders and Logistics Association president Datuk Tony Chia said alleviating traffic congestion, as well as improving road connectivity and conditions, could improve Port Klang’s performance.
Expressing concern for his association members who travel using motorcycles, he hoped the funds could be allocated to both the area’s roads as well, such as for widening lanes and covering deep potholes.
Chia also suggested that the port industry may have faced neglect, as it took a long time for the sector to receive allocations, despite being a major contributor to the nation’s gross domestic product.
“I would like to have a clear message that our logistics play an important role in GDP as well.”
“Those two ports (North and West ports) are progressing to have more volume coming here, but the infrastructure must also come in seamlessly to support and move containers.
“I’m not sure why this is long overdue,” he told Scoop.
However, Chia said the Port Klang Authority (PKA) did a “tremendous” job in addressing infrastructural problems.
He also suggested that the state government could take more proactive measures to improve Port Klang instead of waiting for Putrajaya, as the national economy was not at an optimal level.
“Allow me to tell the state government that we must not necessarily wait for federal government funds to commence projects.”
“If you really want to look into this (road issues), the state government must play a role, not just on the infrastructure outside, but also within the area of port facilities,” he said.
Budget 2024, passed in October, saw the government allocating RM50 million as a matching grant with PKA to maintain its roads and enforce the overload limit on heavy vehicles.
Meanwhile, another RM20 million was also granted as a matching grant to upgrade the Malaysia Maritime Single Window system, aimed to unite the trading community through an integrated digital portal with other government agencies. – November 24, 2023