TAWAU: Two new quay cranes worth RM70 million at the Tawau Port are expected to be fully operational by September following an ongoing certification process, said Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick.
Ewon, who is also Deputy Chief Minister III, expressed confidence that the new machinery would resolve longstanding operational issues raised by industry players and logistics associations.
Speaking after the official officiating ceremony by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor on Sunday, he added that the equipment will improve Tawau Port's gross movement per hour from 15 containers to at least 20, with a target of reaching 25 containers.
Suria Capital Holdings Berhad Chairman Datuk Abd Rahman Dahlan noted that doubling the port's capacity positions Tawau strategically as a major regional hub for the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (Bimp-Eaga).
He added that larger cargo vessels from China, Korea, and Japan will be able to dock at Tawau to transfer loads onto smaller ships destined for secondary ports across the Bimp-Eaga region, which covers a population of 80 million people.
