30/09/2026

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WEDNESDAY | SEPT 30, 2026

MOT to handle bunkering approvals from February 2027

Ű BY T.C. KHOR newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: The Ministry of Transport (MOT) is scheduled to become the sole approving authority for bunkering licences and related permits from Feb 1 next year, as Malaysia moves to streamline the sector and targets Asia-Pacific bunkering hub status by 2030. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the government had designated the ministry as the single lead agency for the bunkering sector. “Malaysia has set a goal of becoming an Asia-Pacific bunkering hub by 2030. To achieve that ambition, we must provide the industry with a clear regulatory framework and a reliable approval process. “This will give operators a single point of accountability and support more consistent decisions on safety, fuel quality and environmental protection,” he said in his keynote address at the opening of Malaysia Maritime Week 2026 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre yesterday. He added that the reform is part of the government’s wider effort to build a competitive bunkering sector that can serve today’s shipping needs and prepare Malaysia for the transition to cleaner marine fuels. “We don’t take away powers from other ministries but consolidate and make it a single window, so that processes can be streamlined and approvals can be processed faster,” Loke said in May, when he announced the Cabinet’s approval of the policy. He said then that Malaysia had lost out on bunkering because agencies were working in silos, making the country uncompetitive. Yesterday, Loke disclosed that the ministry was also advancing the Malaysia Maritime Bunkering Ini tiative to build a greener marine fuel ecosystem, and was working with Australia on a policy and legal framework for green bunkering, covering fuels such as liquefied natural gas, biofuels and methanol. He said this supported the International Maritime Organisation’s PETALING JAYA: Putrajaya is targeting 100 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in national port-handling capacity by 2035, through a new port on Carey Island and expansions at four existing ports. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the expansion is aimed at strengthening Malaysia’s position as a global maritime and logistics hub. “Our ambition is to raise the nation’s port handling capacity to 100 million TEUs by 2035,” he said in his keynote address at the opening of Malaysia Maritime Week 2026 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre yesterday. “We will pursue this through the development of a new port on Carey Island, the Westports 2 expansion at Port Klang, Phases 3 and 4 of the Port of Tanjung Pelepas development, and the Kuantan and Kemaman Port

Green Bunkering Regulatory Road map with support from Australia’s Partnerships for Infrastructure Pro gramme, which targets low-carbon fuels making up 40% of maritime fuel by 2050. Singapore, the world’s largest bunkering port, began licensing methanol bunkering suppliers this year. Loke also said the Malaysia Shipping Development Fund (MSDF) would be used to build up domestic shipping capacity and

container handling capacity from about 14 million TEUs to about 28 million TEUs, according to the company. Under the 2023 concession agreement, Phase 1, covering CT10 to CT13, runs from 2024 to 2038, while Phase 2, covering CT14 to CT17, runs from 2036 to 2053. Westports said CT10’s 600-metre wharf is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2028. PTP CEO Mark Hardiman said in August that the port’s long-term expansion programme would raise its handling capacity to 16.3 million TEU a year by 2029. Kemaman Port Authority chairman Datuk Azan Ismail said in January that the port’s expansion was expected to be completed by 2028, with wharf and breakwater works estimated at between RM1.5 billion and RM1.8 billion. - by T.C. KHOR expand the Malaysian-flagged fleet. “In an era of global supply chain disruptions, relying entirely on foreign tonnage is a vulnerability we can no longer afford. The MSDF is not just a financial aid programme. It is a mechanism for national resilience.” The fund is established under Act A1551, the Merchant Shipping Ordi nance Amendment 2017, with its subsidiary legislation coming into effect on Sept 1, Transport Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Jana Santhiran Muniayan said in his welcoming address. Last week, Malaysia Shipowners’ Association chairman Mohamed Safwan Osman told SunBiz the fund would initially be supported by tonnage-fee collections, and that its initial size would be too small to significantly influence shipowners’ investment decisions. “If you look at the whole total ecosystem, we probably need in excess of RM15 billion,” he said. Loke said RM10 million from the MSDF would go to the Armada Madani Programme, which will help 100 young Malaysians, particularly from B40 households, pursue careers as seafarers. Under the programme, 50 students who have completed SPM or an equivalent will undertake three year diploma programmes in Nautical Studies or Marine Engi neering, with RM120,000 allocated per student. Another 50 will receive six months of training as Deck Ratings or Engine Ratings, with RM15,000 allocated per student. The proposed courses will be delivered by the Malaysian Maritime Academy and will meet the standards of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.

o Sole authority will provide clear regulatory framework and reliable process to achieve Asia-Pacific hub ambition: Transport minister

target of 10%. “Malaysia intends to be ready to support ships as that transition gathers pace,” he noted. The ministry has developed a

2023 greenhouse gas strategy, which calls for zero- or near-zero-emission fuels and technologies to make up at least 5% of the energy used by international shipping by 2030, with a

Loke (centre) launching Malaysia Maritime Week 2026. With him are Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah (second, left) and Transport Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Jana Santhiran Muniayan (second, right).. – BERNAMAPIC Malaysia targets 100 million TEU port capacity by 2035

RM3.061 trillion in merchandise trade in 2025, the highest on record, with exports of RM1.607 trillion and imports of RM1.455 trillion, re sulting in a trade surplus of RM151.8 billion. “The importance of Malaysia’s maritime transport and its efficiency can be measured by its trade performance,” he added. The Cabinet approved the development of Port Klang’s third terminal on Carey Island on March 11, with the Selangor government to lead the project through a special purpose vehicle with private companies, while the Transport Ministry acts as regulator. In July, Loke said the terminal would take nearly 20 years to be fully completed. Westports 2 involves eight new container terminals, CT10 to CT17, and is expected to raise Westports’

Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) and Pasir Gudang Port after Lloyd’s List approved their consolidation under a single reporting entity in May, Loke said in June. The consolidation is for container throughput reporting for the Lloyd’s List rankings, rather than an operational merger of the two ports. Loke said maritime transport accounted for approximately 98% of Malaysia’s international trade, while the shipping and maritime services sector contributed more than 6.5% of gross domestic product. “Since Malaysia’s independence, maritime transport has contributed directly through the value it produced and indirectly by helping Malaysian trade and industry move,” he added. “If we strengthen this sector, we strengthen Malaysia’s competitive ness, resilience and future prosperity.” Loke said Malaysia recorded

expansions.” Loke said the positive growth of Malaysia’s port sector reflected the direction of government policy and the implementation of the Malaysia Maritime Transformation Plan 1.0. “Under the plan, expanding port infrastructure and handling capacity are priorities to keep Malaysia competitive as a leading global maritime and logistics hub,” he added. Loke said Port Klang retained its position as the world’s 10th busiest container port in the Lloyd’s List One Hundred Container Ports 2026 ranking, handling 15,138,772 TEU in 2025, up 3.4% from 14,644,527 TEU in 2024. The Port of Johor ranked 11th, handling 15,110,050 TEU in 2025. Together, the two ports handled more than 30.2 million TEU last year. The Port of Johor combines the reported container throughput of