Tuesday September 14, 2010
Shipping policy being looked into, says minister
KOTA KINABALU: A comprehensive study is underway on the policy that bars foreign shipping lines from operating in the nation’s domestic routes. Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha, who will head the study, said he wanted to meet those involved including manufacturers, government agencies, business groups, shippers and freight forwarders over the cabotage policy.
Under the policy, implemented since 1980, the shipment of goods between any two ports in the country can only be done by Malaysian-owned shipping companies with Malaysian-flagged ships. Kong held a two-hour meeting with the Sabah Economic Planning Unit, Federation of Sabah Manufac_turers and Malaysian Inter_national Chamber of Commerce and Indus_try Sabah chapter officials on Sunday.
He said his ministry was fully aware of complaints that the policy was stifling Sabah’s economic growth, particularly in the manufacturing sector. “As a nation, we want every part of the country to grow economically and that is why we need to look into these issues,” Kong said after the meeting at the Sabah Marine Depart_ment headquarters in Sepanggar near here. He said he would be meeting representatives of shipping and freight forwarding companies as well as government agency officials before making a decision on a review of the policy.
