Malaysia is set to have its first fully-equipped port reception facility (PRF) at Westports to process marine waste on site instead of transporting it to other locations.

It is expected to start operations within a year.

Port reception facilities are places that global shipping ports must provide so that ships can discharge residues, oily waste, garbage and other contaminants that cannot be discharged directly into the ocean.

The PRF facility is headed by Port Klang Port Reception Facility Sdn Bhd, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of KA Petra Group.

Given that Port Klang receives a large number of ships annually, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the facility would help generate business opportunities and, at the same time, protect the environment.

“This business provides great opportunities as many ships come to dock at our ports,’’ he told a press conference at the Westports headquarters after the virtual ground-breaking ceremony yesterday.

Loke said the government encouraged more local businesses to set up PRFs at port areas nationwide.

Otherwise, he said ships might prefer to head to Singapore, which has a PRF, instead of Malaysia if the nation’s ports did not have the facility.

He explained that the PRF would process waste fuel from the ships that docked at the port.

Port Klang receives about 15,000 ships annually.

These vessels generate about 50,000 tonnes of waste fuel which is currently transported out of the port to be processed.

“This can be a threat to the environment and there have been cases of pollution when the waste fuel was dumped in oil palm estates and rivers by lorries,’’ he said.

Earlier in his speech, Loke said PRF would provide the country with the resources and infrastructure to ensure that all vessels arriving here would be managed in an efficient and environmentally responsible manner.

This, he added, would be in line with international regulations stated in the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships of which Malaysia is a signatory.

Asked about the status of the plan to make Carey Island as the third major port in the country after Westport and Northport, Loke said the government had to look at its financial position first.

However, he said that many investors from the private sector had indicated their interest in the project.

“We are hoping to make some key decisions by this year on the way forward,’’ he added.
Source: The Star