PORT KLANG (April 14): KA Petra Bhd, a leading marine service provider, has announced the commencement of construction works for a port reception facility, making it the first fully equipped port reception facility in Westports to process marine waste onsite.
Located in Westports in Port Klang, the facility will be built on 1.7 acres of land at a cost of about RM60 million. Construction of the facility is expected to take 12 months to complete. The facility will be financed by Malaysia Debt Ventures Bhd, a subsidiary of the Minister of Finance Inc.
Once fully constructed, the port reception facility will be equipped with the ability to handle and process waste generated by ships according to International Maritime Organisations' (IMO) requirements. Besides handling disposal of waste, including oil and other hazardous materials, the facility will be able to recycle and/or prepare for the final disposal of these waste materials on site.
The facility will be built with a storage capacity of 5,000 metric tonnes (MT), with a daily processing capacity of 350 MT. It also comes with its own wastewater treatment plant that is designed to treat wastewater from bilge tank, ballast water tank and scrubber wastewater tank from sea-going vessels.
The groundbreaking ceremony was graced by Transport Minister Anthony Loke, along with Port Klang Port Reception Facility Sdn Bhd (PKPRF) chief executive officer Anthony Sivaraja and Westports Holdings Bhd CEO Eddie Lee Mun Tat.
Loke said this new infrastructure is essential to ensure that all vessels operating in Malaysian waters do not pollute waters and the marine environment, and that full accountability and traceability of marine waste can be achieved.
“The facility is the result of a strong promise by the government to improve our ports and maritime facilities in Malaysia. It [port reception facility] is a testament to the Malaysian government's investment in the future of our maritime industry. As a maritime nation along the world's second busiest maritime chokepoint, the Straits of Malacca, we are determined to ensure that Malaysia returns to the forefront of the global maritime sector. This port reception facility is testament to our intentions,” said Loke.
In addition to increasing Malaysia's prominence on the global maritime map, Loke said the port reception facility is anticipated to contribute significantly to the country's overall growth and development.
“The boost in port infrastructure will lead to more productive and efficient ports, making them more attractive to international shipping companies. This, in turn, is expected to create more jobs and enhance the livelihoods of Malaysians, as well as positively impacting the Southeast Asian region,” he added.
The port reception facility will be built, operated and managed by PKPRF, a subsidiary of KA Petra Group.
PKPRF's Anthony said the groundbreaking comes after more than a year of work preparations, involving many different parties and participants.
"Spurred by a commitment to do our part in reducing our environmental impact, our port reception facility has been designed to incorporate rainwater harvesting and solar power features. These will assist us to minimise our carbon footprint, lower energy consumption and improve self-sustainability.
The port reception facility will also incorporate a port waste intergrated information technology (PWIT) System, which is capable of managing a multitude of services, including bookings, collection and recovery of marine waste, to communications with relevant authorities and government organisations. This will help to reduce delays while providing transparent monitoring of the entire waste management process.
“All relevant parties, including our customers, Westport Malaysia, Port Klang Authority, the Marine Department and Department of Environment, will be able to access the relevant information to them, including collection data, waste data, recovery data and disposal data through our PWIT system,” Anthony added.