KUANTAN: Kuantan Port Consortium Sdn Bhd (KPC) is set to become a vibrant logistic hub in the Asean region once the port upgrading works are completed in 2020.
KPC's Marketing and Corporate Communication manager Alimi Ibrahim said the RM4billion expansion project has to date received positive feedback and continues to draw interest from both domestic and foreign investors.
He said the upgrading works is divided into two phases where the first phase involving a 400m-stretch will be completed by June this year before another 600m is expected to be completed by the second quarter of next year.
"Phase Two will depend on the demand the port receives for cargo in the future. The road upgrading works connecting Kuantan Port and the East Coast Expressway will be completed by September next year.
"Kuantan Port has received approval with conditions from the Finance Ministry to operate as a Free Zone port and once gazetted by the government, Kuantan Port will operate as a Free Zone Port by the end of this year," he said
He said the Free Zone port status will serve as an advantage to Kuantan Port as it will pave the way for the port to enter a new market including transhipment compared to only import and export.
Once the expansion works are complete, Kuantan Port, which is strategically located in the Maritime Silk Road that links China with other regions, will be able to handle bigger vessels.
Translated from Berita Harian