KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah Ports Sdn Bhd has rubbished talks its bays have been storing several unclaimed containers for some time, purportedly containing questionable material.
Its Chairman Datuk Karim Bujang on Monday dismissed this as rumours as there had been no laden containers declared as industrial waste or radioactive contents entering the container port to date.
No containers have stayed in the port more than a week, which is the waiting time for loading vessel, he said, referring to the Sepanggar Container Port Bay.
“Besides, all export containers are only allowed to come into the port with the shipping order issued by shipping agents, confirming the loading vessel and its content,” he said.
Talks making the rounds is that a number containers have been lying inside the container port for years, unclaimed by any vessel that has called on Sepanggar Port.
This sparked claims that radioactive chemicals or industrial wastes may have been shipped in and shipped out from the State.
Sabah Ports Sdn Bhd manages all eight ports in Sabah, handling containers, dry and general cargoes, as well as liquid cargo, mainly palm oil.
Plans are underway to rationalise the port operations statewide to turn Sabah into a port hub and the Sapangar Bay Container Port, which has taken over the container operations from the Kota Kinabalu Port, has been tipped to be a premier transshipment hub for the Bimp-Eaga region.
Meanwhile, the Sapangar Bay Oil Terminal is designed to handle refined petroleum products and liquid chemical, serving the West Coast of Sabah, while the East Coast Ports of Sandakan, Tawau and Lahad Datu handle palm oil and related products such as fertilisers and palm kernel, in addition to containers and general cargo. The Kunak Port handles palm oil as well as palm kernel exports.
