adminThe government will implement several mitigation measures to ensure that the country’s port operations are not affected following the conflict between the United States and Israel over Iran which is affecting maritime movement in the Strait of Hormuz, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
He said the matter was discussed in a meeting with port management, shipping companies and the country’s maritime industry authorities this morning to plan immediate steps to deal with possible disruptions to the global logistics chain.
“Based on previous experience, such crises often cause congestion at ports in our country because containers to conflict areas will be left behind by shipping companies, thus affecting daily import and export operations, and consequently our factories,” he said in a post on his Facebook today.
The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is one of the world’s most important oil shipping lanes, with about a fifth of global oil consumption passing through the narrow passage every day.
Anthony said as an initial step, the government would facilitate the removal of empty containers from the port area to avoid congestion, while the port management would carry out more thorough inspections.
He said the move was to ensure that containers with unclear destinations were not unloaded at the country’s ports.
He said the Transport Ministry had also taken note of the fuel cost challenges faced by local ports and would work together to create a mechanism to address the issue during a crisis.
Anthony said the government was also trying to help Malaysian ships stranded in West Asia due to the risk of attack if they continued sailing.
“In facing a national crisis, all stakeholders must work together and help each other to protect the country’s interests,” he said.
— BERNAMA
