KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 29– Malaysia will develop a new port in Johor state with an eye on strengthening its maritime logistics competitiveness and supply chain resilience, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Saturday.
The port will also play a significant role in job creation, with an expected 45,000 employment opportunities, as well as attract supporting industries and open doors for small and medium enterprises to participate in international commerce, Anwar said in his opening speech at the Maharani Freeport launch in Tanjung Emas.
Anwar said the strategic location of the port along the Strait of Malacca makes it perfectly situated to serve as a central hub for transshipment, logistics and regional trade, linking the economies of the Indo-Pacific with the markets of the Middle East and Europe.
“We aim to strengthen these pillars by expanding our maritime capacity, enhancing our logistics competitiveness and deepening Malaysia’s participation in global supply chains, as well as driving the nation closer to our economic targets,” he said.
Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar officiated at the launch, joined by key state and federal-level officials.
The port, developed by Maharani Energy Gateway, is expected to attract 144 billion ringgit (34.8 billion U.S. dollars) in long-term investments from global investors and will have a significant multiplier impact on the state and the national economy, the company said in a statement.
The Maharani Freeport master plan involves 1,295 hectares of reclaimed land.
The three artificial islands have four main components: the Maharani Energy Hub, the Maharani Deep Seaport, the Maharani Freeport Industrial Park, and the Maharani Freeport Financial Hub.
The hub will serve as a one-stop center for oil trading, storage, blending, bunkering, ship maintenance, and deep-sea services. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
