LONDON: Malaysia has ratified the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL) in a move that will better promote Malaysian ports and businesses in moving ahead to provide reliable services while maintaining uniformity in its processes and procedures.
In a brief ceremony at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) headquarters, Malaysian delegates led by Malaysian High Commission Maritime Attache I Captain Abdul Samad Shaik Osman deposited the instrument of ratification to the FAL Convention by handing over a certificate from Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah to IMO secretary-general Kaitack Lim.
The move by Malaysia was made 52 years after the convention was enforced in 1967. It sets out internationally agreed standards and recommended practices in respect of the arrival, stay and departure of ships, persons and cargo and includes provisions in respect of stowaways, public health and quarantine.
Malaysia is the 122nd member nation of the IMO to ratify the convention.
Samad said the uniformity will ensure good practices, sound governance and multi-agency harmony, and provide for a sustainable and a thriving environment which is needed for economic growth in the maritime sector.
“This is one of the conventions under the auspices of the IMO. It is one of the oldest conventions that most of the countries participate and ratify. For Malaysia, this ratification will promote uniformity, attractiveness to our ports and connectivity with ports throughout the world.
“As a signatory to this convention, we will make our ports more attractive and more efficient than ever, bringing them to the next level.
“We have ports scattered all around Malaysia. Port Klang is ranked 12th in the world in terms of container handling and Port Tanjung Pelepas in Johor is ranked 19th whereas our port in Bintulu is the third largest exporter of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) to the world,” he said, adding that the ratification of the convention will allow people to come to know Malaysian ports and the uniformity of requirements needed to enter the ports.
The convention will be enforced in Malaysia in June, 60 days after the certificate was received by the IMO secretary-general.
The secretary-general, during a meeting which lasted almost an hour with the Malaysian delegates, expressed his happiness and appreciation that Malaysia has ratified the convention,
Samad said Lim had also expressed hope that this would accelerate further the growth of Malaysian ports and elevate them in world ranking.
“We are already accommodating 90 per cent of the requirement of the current procedure. So there shouldn’t be any problem for us to enforce the requirement for the international convention,” he said.
Also present at the meeting were Transport Ministry principal assistant secretary (ports) Mizool Amir Mat Drus, Bintulu Port Authority assistant general manager Captain Zakhir Khan Yusop, Johor Port Authority assistant general manager Kamaruzaman Munasir, Johor Customs Department deputy director Abdul Samat Abdullah and High Commission Maritime Attache II Kanagalingam T. Selvarasah.