The govt is conducting a feasibility study on Port Klang’s 3rd port and an additional station

by SHAHEERA AZNAM SHAH/ pic by ARIF KARTONO

AN EXTENSION of the proposed deep-sea port in Carey Island to include a cargo station for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) alignment is being considered.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke (picture; (third from right) said the government is conducting a feasibility study on Port Klang’s upcoming third port and an additional station which is connected through a spur line.

“The alignment in Port Klang is being studied to see if we could extend the ECRL track to the proposed Carey Island port. The track is currently planned to pass through Carey Island to reach Westports, one of two ports in Klang besides Northport.

“We will see if it is viable to extend the track right to the doorstep of the port through a spur line,” he told reporters at the ECRL project’s public inspection in Port Klang yesterday.

The feasibility study for the third port in Klang, which is developed to be an integrated maritime city, is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2021 (1Q21).

Loke said at present, the progress of the railway project has reached 15% while the bulk of the works are being concentrated at the Dungun-Mentakab alignment, also known as Section B.

“ECRL’s Sections A and C are still under the public display,” he said, adding that the ECRL is expected to be commissioned on Jan 21, 2027.

Section C — which spans between Mentakab, Pahang, and Port Klang, Selangor — is expected to begin construction in 3Q20.

“Works are expected to start with those located on government land that does not require ownership transfer.

“Although we try to avoid hou- sing areas, there is some land acquisition involved which requires the owner to evacuate their place. In that case, the people will be compensated,” he said.

At present, 81 land plots in Putrajaya and 1,538 in Selangor are expected to be acquired under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act 1960 (Act 486), while the numbers are expected to be reduced when the government finalises the gazette under Section 8 of the Act.

As stated under Act 486, the gazette notification under Section 4 refers to plots that are likely to be acquired, while Section 8 declares that the plots are concluded to be acquired.

Loke said the ECRL alignment strategically observes the development of Malaysia’s transportation sector and currently serves the country’s two important ports.

“ECRL will also enable the country to shift the cargo load and heavy vehicles on the road to railways, and ease the congestion at the port vicinity,” he said.

Last year, Port Klang recorded 10.3% growth year-on-year (YoY) in container handling to a total of 13.58 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), boosted by the stabilising demand at Westports from shipping firms and rising intra-Asia trade.

The export and import activities were up by 5.6% and 6.4% respectively, while the transhipment volume for the two ports in Klang rose 12.9% to 8.55 million TEUs.

On the Covid-19 development, Loke said no case was detected among the passengers and crews of the cruise and cargo ships docking at Malaysian ports.

“The cruise and cargo ships docking in Malaysia are being monitored, while the passengers and crew are being inspected as soon as they enter the country. We have all the names of the tourists coming into the country.

“If anyone has the symptoms while they are on the ships, they will be quarantined and are not allowed to enter the country. In January, 20 cruise liners docked in Port Klang, bringing a total 60,996 tourist passengers. It is expected to receive 135 cruise liners in 2020.