KUALA LUMPUR: Manufacturers will benefit from the improved port services with the completion of the second gate consisting of 14 lanes in Westports, said the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM).
In a statement today, FMM said, it commended the immediate efforts by Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd and the Customs Department to ease the recent congestion in Port Klang.
This would benefit shippers, especially manufacturers practising just-in-time inventory systems, it said.
“More lanes would allow Westports to have ample capacity to cope with the growth of local import and export volume from shippers.
“Besides reduction in manufacturing inventory costs, a more efficient port system reduces the export and import costs by eliminating exorbitant demurrage and detention charges imposed by shipping lines on hauliers which is then passed on to shippers,” it said.
The Association of Malaysian Hauliers, in its recent report, had said an improved port system would boost the number of trips by hauliers and cut unproductive time spent by lorry drivers waiting at the gate or outside the depot, FMM said.
FMM said it looked forward to continued collaborative efforts by all stakeholders to ensure Port Klang remained an important gateway for Malaysian exports as well as a growing centre for regional transhipment. — BERNAMA