SPEECH BY
YANG
BERHORMAT PEHIN ORANG KAYA HAMZAH PAHLAWAN DATO SERI SETIA HAJI AWANG
ABDULLAH BIN BEGAWAN MUDIM DATO PADUKA HAJI BAKAR MENTERI PERHUBUNGAN
WELCOMING CEREMONY OF THE
MAIDEN VOYAGE OF EVERGREEN LINES' MV EVER APEX TO MUARA PORT
24 September 2014 / 29 Zulkaedah 1435
Alhamdulillahi
rabbal 'alameen. Wassalatu wassalamu'ala ashrafil ambiyaa iwal
mursaleen. Saiyidina muhammadin wa'ala aalihi wasahbihi ajmaeen.
Assallamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
And a very good morning
Yang Mulia Awang Mohd Riza bin Dato Paduka Haji Yunos, Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications.
Mr Jack Wu, President of Evergreen Marine Corp (M) Sdn Bhd
Mr Lee Hock Saing, Executive Vice President, Evergreen Marine Corp (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.
Yang Mulia Haji Md Razali, Executive Chairman of Archipelago
Yang
Mulia Dr Haji Abdul Manaf Haji Metussin, Deputy Permanent Secretary at
the Prime Minister Office (Chief Executive Officer of Brunei Economic
Development Board (BEDB).
Yang Mulia Pengiran Haji Mohd. Zain bin Pengiran Haji Abd. Razak, Pengarah Pelabuhan.
Directors and senior government officials
Members
of the Shipping Agents Association Brunei Darussalam (SABD), Fowarding,
Transportation & Stevedoring Association Brunei Darussalam (FTSBD)
and Brunei Fowarders Association (BRUFA).
Representatives of the private sector, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen
First
and foremost I would like to convey my sincerest appreciation and
thanks to Archipelago for inviting me to this auspicious occasion on the
maiden voyage of EverGreen Lines Ever Apex to Muara Port.
I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to EverGreen[1],
one of the biggest shipping lines in the world for choosing Brunei
Darussalam and Muara Port specificially, as part of your global shipping
network. It is our pleasure to welcome Evergreen into Brunei Darussalam
as this has been a dream which has now become a reality. Your presence
will no doubt bring benefits to our nation. It is an honour to finally
have you here, helping to project the profile of Muara Port in the world
map.
Ladies and Gentlemen
His
Majesty The Sultan Yang Di Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam has
articulated a powerful and compelling vision, Wawasan 2035 to be
achieved through progressive and sustainable economic growth for our
future generations. We have set ourselves clear and ambitious targets in
the three areas of education, quality of life and economy.
The
transport sector plays a pivotal role in achieving this target. The
transport and communications sector is currently contributing about 3.6%[2]
of the total GDP. It is our strategic goal to make it not just a
supporting industry to other industries but to make it as a vibrant,
dynamic and growing industry by itself, contributing to a growing share
of the country's GDSP. This can be achieved by establishing a
sustainable hubbing activities in all modes of transportation and
communications which is in line with the Ministry of Communications'
long term plan and mission for Muara Port, which hinges on six strategic
thrusts which are Corporatisation and privatisation, private sector
participation and facilitation, infrastructure development, operational
enhancement, HRD and Safety, security and the environment. .
To
have robust transport activities in particular in the transportation
chain, we cannot do it alone as there are certain aspects not within our
control. We need multiple partnership and this is where we place great
importance on Evergreen's presence in serving Muara Port - through
increased accessibility to markets, improved connectivity, increased
shipping services, more market penetration thus giving us a competitive
edge. Thus, making Brunei Darussalam more attractive to foreign direct
investment and at the same time, compelling our local transport industry
players to be internationally competitive in the rendering of their
services.
To
become an internationally competitive, a hub port will require several
important characteristics which among others include infrastructure,
efficient connectivity, multiple strategic partnerships; and talented
human resource among others. Realising this, I am delighted to share
that we are currently implementing some initiatives which we believe
will serve as a springboard towards this direction.
i)
The Extension of Muara Container Terminal project by another
150-200meters, scheduled to be completed before the end of 2016. The
extension will increase the capacity of the Terminal from 220,000 TEUs
to 330,000 TEUs and reduce ships' berthing times.
ii)
Tender on Muara Container Terminal Management with the hope of making
management more efficient and creating conducive business environment.
iii)
Realising that the shipping landscape in the last decade has changed
tremendously whereby boxes are now transported on big shipping liners
and in order to adapt ourselves to this changing landscape, Brunei
Darussalam's Pulau Muara Besar mega-project is ongoing. This project
will include the deepening of the Muara Channel which will be dredged to
a depth of 14 meters from the current 12 meters. This will enable
bigger vessels to call at Brunei Darussalam.
iv)
On the institutional mechanism front, the Ministry of Communications is
driving the corporatization process of the Ports Department which will
make it more efficient, productive, dynamic, competitive and able to
respond to market changes. A second institutional initiative is the
establishment of Brunei Maritime & Ports Authority. Both these
initiatives will help distinguish the roles of regulator and service
providers in a more transparent manner with great emphasis on service
standards that are internationally compliant.
- A Port
Masterplan is being developed and the construction of three bridges
will be instrumental and further complement our effort for the
hinterland cargo to be funneled through and from Muara Port.
- There
are also ongoing consulting services to develop the Maritime Master
Plan Projects for Brunei Darussalam in which the main objective is to
develop the maritime industry in a more orderly manner. In addition, the
Maritime Academy has recently been established with the objective to
enhance human capacity building that complies with international
standards.
- In
partnership with the private sector, the Ports Department is also
undertaking commercialisation activities in promoting the Muara Port.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The
future outlook remains positive with expected growth rates in the
region of 5%-6%, in tandem with our targets in Wawasan 2035.
The
prospect of transshipment laden containers in the region and therefore
in Brunei Darussalam is extremely good and it is in this respect that we
will strive to develop this industry. It is our desire to see vibrant
transshipment activities at Muara Port serving the regional market.
More
so, Evergreen's arrival at Muara Port today is timely. It also
indicates that Brunei Darussalam does have the potential for market
growth. This will hopefully act as a beacon for other main shipping
lines to consider Muara Port as a prospective port of call.
Seeing
Evergreen, a major shipping line and one of the largest in the world is
a milestone and Brunei Darussalam will treasure the trust and
confidence you have placed on us. We will remain committed to delivering
conducive business environment and optimise cost of efficiencies, time
efficient and capacity utilisation at our ports and continuous
improvement initiatives to deliver robust port services that meet
industry needs and expectations without compromising safety and security
aspects.
On
this note, I call upon the entire players in the transport chain to
take advantage of these developments and to strive towards achieving the
aspirations of Wawasan 2035.
I
do hope your ship's call at Muara Port today will be the start of a
long presence for years to come and commitment to serve Muara Port as
part of your shipping network and benefit Brunei Darussalam's economy in
the long run
[1] Evergreen has 5.1% share of he world's total market.
[2] Source: JPKE for Year 2011
