Asia/Pacific News
Malaysia Sees Growing Importance for Strait of Malacca
The Malaysian Prime Minister’s special envoy to China, Kong Cho Ha, says there will be a growing importance for the Strait of Malacca - which is already the world's main shipping route and home to the world's biggest bunkering port, Singapore.
Speaking at the 2nd Maritime Silk Road Port International Cooperation Forum at Ningbo, China, earlier this month, Kong said that as a result of China’s 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative there was "renewed interest in maritime facilities along the Strait of Malacca."
He also noted a memorandum of understanding between Malaysia and China that was signed last November, that amongst other things resulted in an alliance between six Malaysian ports and 10 Chinese ports.
"We view this as an opportunity for port operators, shipping lines, and logistics and construction companies to come together as a consortium to develop mega projects," said Kong.
For the first half of 2016, Port Klang showed a growth of 12.2 percent year-on-year, he added.
Adrian Tolson, Senior Partner, 20|20 Marine Energy, is another voice that sees good prospects for the region.
He recently told Ship & Bunker that the new global sulfur cap and the advent of 0.50 percent maximum sulfur blends could be a boon for Singapore and others in the Straits of Malacca in general.
